The Bitter Dawn
by darkintrigue
Summary: A clouded fate awaits certain SeeDs, circumstance and necessity has propelled them to this point. What happens when revelations are made, when relationships and status are forced into the light? What new foe seeks Gardens destruction?
1. Time

Jeez, almost forgot the disclaimer! I don't own any of the excellent FF8 (much as I wish I did!), I merely spend my nights and days dreaming of them and inventing new and exciting adventures…Oh dear Lord, I think I may need help.

~*Chapter 1*~

The sky burned vermilion in the approaching dusk. The young woman's breath was suspended in droplets of dew as she waited patiently for the man she loved. The scuffle of gravel as he walked toward her told of his approach. Her breath now caught in her throat in anticipation, she did not turn round, wanting to extend the bittersweet agony for as long as she could as the excitement that came with the expectancy was almost as satisfying as the meeting itself. He looked at the slight figure in front of him, the blue that clung like a second skin to his angel, the long dark hair rippling in the breeze. Calming and serene was the effect; the person however was a little different. 

The anticipation got too much and she turned to face this man, her knight. An angry scar that ran blood red from forehead to nose was the most distinct feature, though his eyes, two deep, cerulean pools of uncertainty were what held him above any other. She could have happily gave her life and drowned in them. A troubled past and hurt from long ago were prominent in those eyes, hidden sometimes by the hair she loved to entwine in her fingers. His arms encircled her slim waist and she rested her head against the worn leather of the jacket, breathing in his scent that she now knew so well. He stroked the silken strands back from her damp forehead and tenderly kissed the top of her head. Still looking out toward the lighthouse silhouetted against the darkening sky, her fingers trailed lovingly down one cheek, pausing only to trace the outline of the lips she loved to feel on her skin. He caught her hand and held it against that cheek, caressing the slender ivory so tenderly, as if fearing it may break.

Her voice echoed huskily in the twilight. "Is it time?"

"Only if you're ready Rinoa. We'll stay here together for as long as you need."

She paused and started moving the sand with her foot, a tick that he knew meant she was uneasy. Sure enough, "I, I'm just so scared Squall. I don't want everyone to hate me. I don't want everyone to blame me for time compression. But they will. And there's nothing I can do. I'm destined to be reviled for a choice I didn't make." 

The tears threatened to blind her and she bit hard on her bottom lip to keep them from spilling. He swallowed hard to keep his own emotions at bay, and spoke calmly and rationally to the frightened young woman. "No one will hate you Rin. I promise. They know what happened, they know it wasn't your fault. We're being hailed as heroes. That's not a sign of hatred as far as I'm aware."

"I'm a sorceress. Have you ever, even once heard of a sorceress who wasn't despised by the world?"

"Edea wasn't until she Ultimecia possessed her."

"No one apart from Cid knew she was a sorceress then!"

"I suppose. But you know what? It just makes you all the more amazing."

"How?"

"Well, you've made history by becoming the first ever sorceress that no one hates. They don't hate you Rin. They think you're great. And they're right. Sorceress or not, you will always be the most incredible woman in the world to me."

To this she said nothing. Sorrow however was replaced by hope, hope that things were as he said and that she would be accepted wholly into the world which had changed so dramatically for her in the space of a few short weeks. The world itself had changed a little since time compression took place a month or so ago. Buildings had been damaged, people lost in time. Everyone in their little group was finding it hard to adjust to the world and to his or her status as saviours of the planet. This coupled with her new status as the next generation of sorceress made the transition especially hard for Rinoa. 

Everyone had been supportive when she had wished to stay at the orphanage, "To gather my thoughts," she had told them. 

No one raised an eyebrow either when Squall had taken leave of absence form his duties with SeeD to watch over her. Cid and Edea had practically fallen over themselves to make sure they had everything they required. But still, it had been a month. Squall was worried that if he didn't start bringing the idea of facing the world back into Rinoa's consciousness she would remain in her haven forever. He murmured into her hair words of comfort, and turned her gently to face him. She looked into his eyes and saw the concern and fear for her etched there. She sighed and admitted defeat. 

"It's time, isn't it."

A kiss brushed her lips and she gave herself to it freely, the passion mounting until they broke away, breathing heavily and each holding the gaze of the other. 

"I love you Rinoa." 

He said it so softly she almost didn't hear him, they looked up to see a shooting star streaking the night sky, leaving sparkling diamonds in its wake. It was the perfect moment and one that would remain with her beyond her mortal days. The smile returned to her beautiful face and joy encased her once more with its glow.

"I love you too."


	2. Moron

Disclaimer: Squaresoft and FF8=good and I have nothing to do with them. I just have no friends as I play their games all day long and I am starting to smell. Damn you for making such addictive games! J 

~*Chapter 2*~

Irvine sauntered down the 2nd floor hallway, tipping his hat as always at the pretty girls that were present. A small, auburn figure hit him with surprising force and left him on the ground in acute pain. He looked up to see his pretty girlfriend smiling broadly at him, offering a hand to help him up.

"Jeez Sefie, it feels like a pack of behemoths have just charged me!"

"Ah Irvy, quit complainin'! You'd have seen me coming if you hadn't been paying **them **so much attention!" she said pointedly.

"Ouch. Okay, point taken. Sorry. What's the rush anyhow? Or could you just not wait to see me?"

"Easy cowboy, or I might have to deflate that ego for ya. Squall just contacted Cid. They're coming home!"

"Well, what are we waiting for? Lets get Quisty and Zell and fire up the Ragnarok!"

At that moment, the two petite blondes rounded the corner hand in hand. They wore the smile of a couple so content just to be together that they wanted to share it with the world. Quistis had calmed Zell down, Irvine noticed with a start. He was happy now to walk and whisper the words of lovers, rather than spar and shout and cause a scene. Even his insatiable appetite for the cafeteria hot-dogs had been quelled somewhat. Quistis too had grown and changed in response to Zell. She had come out of her shell, started letting her hair down, both literally and figuratively, Zell had murmured his appreciation of the golden tresses on many occasions, and he liked the tickles against his cheek when she leaned in to talk or to kiss. Nowadays, students were as likely to find the reinstated instructor at the bar in Balamb with her friends as in the library. The Trepies were not amused to say the least.

"Hi guys! What we firing up the Ragnarok for?"

"Are we going on a mission? More importantly, will there be hot-dogs?"

"Zell!" Quistis gave him a playful punch.

"Sweetie, those martial arts lessons I'm giving you aren't really having the desired effect, are they?" He grinned. 

She pouted prettily and he kissed it away, leaving a smile in its place. Selphie watched with interest, playing absently with Irvine's hair. So comfortable were they with one another they were prone to unintentional displays of affection.

"Enough of that you two! I was just telling Irvy, Cid's finally heard from Squall and Rinoa. They're ready to come back to civilisation! We've been assigned to go pick them up from the orphanage."

"Thank Hyne. I was starting to worry they'd never come home."

"Quisty, you worry too much, and then you get these cute little lines right around here and…"

"Argh, Irvy! You try and drag those two to the ship, I'll get it warmed up"

Irvine saluted sharply and kissed the top of her head, "Aye aye cap'n! We'll be there in ten Sefie, don't worry."

"Thanks sweetie. You two, MOVE!"

With that she skipped off happily to the new docking bay added recently to Garden at FH to facilitate the use of the Ragnarok. They were left looking at the small retreating figure in wonderment. She never failed to surprise them.

~*~*~*~

"That's them! Look, look!" A very excited Selphie was waving maniacally, causing the ship to tilt perilously from side to side.

"Selphie! **Stop**! We're not going to see them if you kill us!" Irvine looked alarmed and slightly green.

"Sorry Irvy, I'll be more careful!" she giggled.

Rinoa looked wistfully at the approaching airship and wondered what was in store for her. 

"What's the bet that a very excited Selphie is the one making the Ragnarok wobble like that?" Squall smiled.

Rinoa woke from her contemplation at the sound of his voice and giggled, "Ooh, I'd say you were onto a winner there, Mr. Leonhart. Double or quits that Irvine is scared stiff?"

She paused, only to turn to him and declare, "I love your smile. You should wear it more often. You have no idea how much it suits you."

"Well then, I'll make you a deal. I'll wear a smile more often, if you wear that dress more often. You know the one with the sexy split and the thing. Oh yeah, I love the thing…"

She laughed and he smiled again, "Right Ms. Heartilly, that's two dress appearances now that you owe me."

"Ok, ok! You can take me out to dinner tonight and I'll wear the dress then."

"Deal."

"Deal!"

Finally, the Ragnarok landed and the group of friends practically fell over themselves to reach the pair first.

"Squall! Rinoa!"

"Jeez, have we missed you guys!"

"It's about time man, Gardens falling to pieces without your strong, yet silent hand to guide it!" 

"Rinoa, everyone's been missing you! How you both doing? Did you know you and Irvy are SeeD's now? Cid gave the go ahead, said Ultimecia was your field exam!"

They were all shocked into silence when Squall laughed and hugged them in turn. He pulled away from Irvine and looked confused. "What's up? Have I done something wrong?"

"No man, it's just you're so, well, you're so different."

"What?"

"Think about what you were like two months ago. Then contrast it with now."

He thought back. The group had just reached completion this time two months ago. Irvine had just joined them from Galbadia Garden and they had been on their way to assassinate Edea. Sure that's different, he thought, she's not possessed anymore. We know now Edea is Matron. We know now that we all grew up together, Irvy, Sefie, Quisty, Zell, Seifer, Sis and me. Rinoa and I, well, we definitely get along better now, he smirked. 

Then it hit him. He had changed. And Rinoa was the one who had changed him without him even realising it. She had opened him up to the world, to his friends, to new possibilities and to her. Just through her love for him. He felt an overwhelming rush of love for her and was so grateful for what she had done for him. In the short time they'd spent together she had accomplished what no one else ever could. She had taught him to love and she had taught him to trust, in himself and in others. He hadn't thought it would ever be possible for him to feel this way again. But he did. She was so special, so precious. I have to tell her, he realised. She's got to know. He turned abruptly from Irvine, and he called,

"Hey man, I didn't mean to offend you. Not this quickly anyway…"

"I'm not offended Irv. I just need to talk to Rin." He called over his shoulder. 

Irvine nudged Selphie. "They've had a whole frickin' month to talk and he waits till now?"

"Ssh Irvy, I think you made him realise what Rinny's done for him." She was unusually solemn, and he knew it was time to shut up.

Squall strode purposefully to where Rinoa stood talking to Quistis and turned her to face him. He held her by the shoulders and looked into the depths of her soul.

"Thank you. I never even realised. I love you so much Rin. You've done so much for me, you're so precious to me and I, I don't even know how to begin to thank you." He held her close as the tears sprang to everyone's eyes at this emotive speech from their normally taciturn leader.

"Oh, Squall. I love y…"

"Instructor Trepe? Instructor Trepe? Can you read me? Over." The com on the bridge of the Ragnarok broke everyone free of the moment. Quistis hastily wiped away the single tear and answered its pleas.

"This is Instructor Trepe Headmaster. I can hear you loud and clear."

"Did you find them? Are they safe?" The voice at the other end was frantic with worry.

"They're here and they're fine. They send their best regards and can't wait to be home."

"Excellent. But, there is a small matter I need Squall to attend to on the way back…" Squall prised the receiver gently from Quistis and spoke with what he hoped sounded like confidence.

"Headmaster, this is Squall. What "small matter"? As you know Sir, my duties to Rinoa must take precedence now as we discussed and…"

"Squall, it's not a duty! President Loire of Esthar has requested both your presence and that of your comrades tonight. If you can spare a few hours, will you all please make the effort? I believe it may have implications concerning the construction of Esthar Garden."

"There's a Garden being built at Esthar?"

"Yes. Quistis will fill you in on all the new Garden business. Good to hear of both your and Rinoa's imminent homecoming. I will await your speedy return. Hyne speed. Over and out."

The group was silent for a moment, allowing the headmasters words to permeate their brains. 

"I can't believe we have to go and see that moron." Squall sulked.

"Sir Laguna's not a moron! He's just sooo sweet!"

"Whatever. Set a course for Esthar Airstation Selphie. Let's get this over and done with."


	3. Regrets

Disclaimer: you all know the drill by now. I do not have any claim on FF* or Squaresoft AT ALL. I just worship them as the creator of my sad little world.

~*Chapter 3*~

It took only a matter of hours for the posse to find themselves in the Presidential Residence awaiting Laguna's arrival. When he did make an appearance it was late and energetic as usual. Squall held his tongue as Rinoa squeezed his hand sympathetically. 

"Hi guys! Whoa, what a great job you all did on that Ultemerica thing!"

Kiros interrupted, "That would be Ultimecia, Laguna."

"…" Ward gave Laguna the pitying look he had perfected for moments where he despaired at his friend's idiocy.

"Yeah, that's what I said Kiros. Jeez! Anyway, how's everyone?"

"You're late. We have more important matters to attend to than this little soiree." Squall stated coolly.

"Yeah, um, sorry 'bout that." Laguna shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't making this easy for him. Just like his mother. He smiled a little remembering her; the smile froze when his leg started cramping up. He started hobbling to try and shake it off.

"Sir Laguna, you ok?"

"I, I'm good Selphie! Squall, can I maybe have a moment of your time? Privately?"

He opened his mouth to say no, to tell him where to go, but a reassuring smile from Rinoa and, "Please?" from Laguna coupled with his pathetic puppy dog eyes closed it again.

"Fine. One moment. Hurry up." He growled through gritted teeth.

Laguna looked to Kiros and Ward, whom were both grinning inanely and giving him the thumbs up sign. He coughed and smiled nervously before leading Squall to his drawing room. Squall perched on the edge of a chair, as if eager to leave, and looked expectantly at him. Laguna smiled at him and twiddled with his hair, looking around the room he knew so well. Finally, after an uncomfortable silence,

"Squall, I, uh, I don't know how to tell you this but…"

"If this is about payment for the Ultimecia mission, don't worry. We guessed there might have been problems due to the cost of rebuilding. You can pay us when you have the money."

"No! No, it's got nothing to do with Garden. It's about us."

"Please don't tell me you're gay. I'm not interested. I'm with Rinoa."

"Hyne, no! For Hyne's sake can you stop jumping to conclusions and let me finish? Jeez, you're so like your mother it's unbelievable."

"What do you know about my mother?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you. I knew your mother. I, I wish she was still here. If she was, none of this would have ever happened."

"Tell me Laguna! Stop beating around the bush for once and just tell me!" He exploded.

"Fine, you want it straight to the point? Damn me for trying to soften the blow! I know you don't think much of me, so I do myself an injury trying to think of a way to tell you that you could handle, but, oh no! Not Squall! He won't let this be easy on either of us! Too much of Raine in you…"

"Laguna…" Squall interrupted menacingly.

"I'm your father. Raine Loire, formally Leonhart was you mother. She died giving birth to you while I was trying to save Elle." Laguna blurted it out in a rush. His son slumped forward, his head in his hands and Laguna pressed on.

"I knew she was pregnant. We were so happy, the three of us. A new addition to our perfect family. You were conceived a year or so after our marriage. 

Me and Elle, we were so excited! Someone new for us to play with! Raine was just in a dream, the happiest I'd ever seen her. She even calmed that famous temper of hers down a bit." He laughed softly at the memory.

"The residents of Winhill weren't impressed though. Me, a stranger had come into their quiet little town, fell in love with one of their own, married her, and now she was pregnant with my kid. Nope, they hated me. 

I didn't care anymore though. I had the two people I loved most in the world, and I would soon have a third. Life was perfect. But then, Esthar soldiers kidnapped Elle. Raine persuaded me to go, that she'd be fine, "You'll be back with Elle before I notice you're away," she'd said. "He'll wait till you're back home with his big sis till he makes his appearance, don't worry! This little guy's gonna be just like his Daddy, but he won't be as stupid!" 

She'd kissed me then and sent me on my way. I convinced myself she was right, she was only six months gone. You would both wait for us. But, I was longer than we'd anticipated. You know what happened, Hell, you were there! After the entire hullabaloo, I lost track of time. I'd sent Elle back to take care of you and Raine, I'd been made President and time just flew. There was so much to do. 

Before I knew it, three years had passed. I wrote to Raine every day since the day I left, but I never got a reply. I had to go see you all, bring you back to me. So after more than three years away from my loved ones, I returned to collect my family. You weren't there. None of you were. From the villagers who would lower themselves enough to give me a little information, I gathered that Raine had died in childbirth, you had died with her and had not been named, and that Elle had been sent away to keep her from me. Apparently, I was a threat now Raine was gone. 

I was handed a stack of letters that I'd sent to her, all lovingly tied up to the date of her death, muddied and torn after that date, and shown unceremoniously to her unmarked grave. They didn't want to put my name on the gravestone, didn't want to acknowledge an outsider as her husband or a son fathered by that husband. She didn't want to be buried with her maiden name on her gravestone. So they didn't give her a gravestone at all. It saved them a lot of hassle. 

I carved her gravestone myself. I worked day and night for weeks so that it was perfect. "Raine Loire; beloved wife and mother. Sleep well amongst the stars, my love." It, it was the least I could do. I failed her." He paused, wiping away a lone tear.

"That necklace you wear, that's the symbol for your mothers family name. Leonhart. Greiver was the GF that watched over them long ago. I guess it deserted them when Raine got involved with me. She'd have been so much better off without me. She'd be alive."

A sigh, then, "I threw myself into my work. When you came to Esthar with Rinoa, I knew it was you. No one could be so like Raine in nature and look so similar to me without being my blood. Elle confirmed it for me, as did Ward and Kiros. I didn't want to tell you before time compression. It could have thrown you off your game. And I wanted a chance to tell my son about his lineage, even if he wanted nothing to do with me after it. 

I guess you realise that Rinoa is the daughter of Julia? We Loire men have great taste in women…Anyway; I wanted to let you know all this. I want you to know that your mother loved you so much, I love you Squall. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you when you were growing up. But it's made a stronger person, because lets face it; I'm a goof. You wouldn't be where you are now if I had been there. 

But I want to be a proper father to you if you'll let me. But I'll understand if you don't want anything more to do with me." Laguna sank heavily into a plush red couch, exhausted by his revelations. 

Squall cleared his throat nervously, "Did, did you tell Cid you were going to do this?"

"No. He thought I wanted to talk about Garden."

"Right."

"Right."

"Laguna?"

"Hmm?"

"I've never had a family. I don't know if I'd be any good in one."

"You've always had a family. You just didn't know about us. You did just fine back when you were part of Raine, I bet you'd do even better now that you're, well, you. 

Besides, you'll have a family of you own one day with Rinoa, so you'd better get some practice right? Get up to speed?"

"Ok. Ok. So, what do I call you now? President Loire seems a little formal…"

"You can keep calling me Laguna if you want. Or idiot, Kiros calls me that a lot, Ward implies it. If you feel like it ever, you, you could call me Dad…" 

Laguna smiled wistfully, thinking of all that he'd missed, looking forward to what he may gain now. Grandchildren, Rinoa as a daughter in law, Caraway as an in law. The last part wasn't as good, but hey; you had to take the rough with the smooth he conceded.

~*~*~

Squall thought for a moment and inhaled sharply, "I think I'll stick with Laguna at the moment, if that's ok with you?"

"Sure, sure! I'm just glad you don't hate me!"

"I don't hate you. It's just a lot to take in you know? I need some time to try and see if I can piece this all together. I've got some things I need to work out."

"I understand. If you want, why don't you stay for a while? I have a feeling you might not be up to a long journey right now. You and the others can stay right here, sport!" 

Squall rolled his eyes. "Laguna, you might be my father, and I'll probably learn to accept that and love you as a son, but I will never, ever forgive you if you call me sport again."

Laguna blushed, and stammered, "Right, just uh, getting a bit carried away. I'm new at this too."

"Thanks for your offer. We'd be glad to stay. If you don't mind, could you show us to our quarters? I feel like I need an early night."

"Of course. Do you and Rinoa, do you…y'know?"

"What?"

"You know, do you do the thing with the same room and the bed and_…(oh my Hyne, Laguna stop talking, he's only known he's you son for five minutes and you're asking him about his sex life? Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutup!)_ Hey look, there's Kiros! 

Hey Kiros, could you take Squall and the others to their rooms? They're staying the night and I just remembered I have to go see Doc Odine about getting my foot removed from my mouth. Please excuse me Squall." 

With that Laguna limped painfully off while Kiros and Squall looked on in disbelief.

"So I take it he's told you then?"

"Yeah."

"He can be a bit of a moron Squall, but he's a good guy."

"I know. I just wish I'd figured that out sooner. I wish I'd figured a lot of things out sooner."

"Well, don't waste any more of your life on regret. Laguna wasted years of his life on regrets and look where that got him."

"In a big Presidential Palace with citizens who love him?"

"You've got your mothers smart mouth. But no, it left him emotionally retarded, which really fits in well with the rest of his persona, but still, it's a bad thing."

Squall smiled a little, "I'll bear that in mind. Thanks Kiros."

"You're welcome. The others are already settled for the night," Squall opened his mouth to question if they knew what had transpired this evening, but Kiros continued smoothly,

"And they haven't got a clue why you are all staying or what you and Laguna were discussing. That's up to you. Rinoa's very anxious to see you. She's waiting for you in the room we prepared for the two of you. Good night, Squall. Don't be too hard on Laguna." 

He winked and left him staring at the door of the room, slack jawed and reeling, both from what he'd just discovered and the fact that they had assumed he and Rinoa shared a bed.

"Hyne, what a day."


	4. Discovery

Disclaimer: I don't own ff8! There, art thou satisfied?

~*Chapter 4*~

Squall looked around his opulent surroundings with an air of quiet appreciation. Rinoa had obviously been waiting up for him but it had been too hard for her too keep her heavy lids from closing. "Pity," he thought, "she looks beautiful." 

She wore a simple nightdress, yet on her anything could look as if a master seamstress had crafted it. Barely reaching to her mid thigh, it clung to her curves, accentuating the gentle sweeping lines of her figure. The colour was, as always, a shade of blue, this time of the palest dove variety, and the material shimmered with the rise and fall of her chest.

His little sorceress was a vain one; she needed to wear the dark blue glasses that were perched precariously on the tip of her button nose to see any distance, but would wear contacts in the presence of anyone but him. He teased her about his a lot, the glasses framed her heart shaped fact beautifully, but she'd pout and stomp if he dared suggest it to her. 

She was so cute when she was mad. All scrunched up nose and pouting lower lip. He loved to tease her, just to get that face. Her dark hair was fanned about the plush red velvet of the chaise de lounge she had fallen asleep on and he gently picked her up and placed her under the covers of the feather-down bed, removing the glasses carefully and placing them on the side table within her reach. She stirred slightly and he planted a soft kiss on her forehead, his scent and touch comforted her and she smiled in her sleep, comfortable now to sleep deeply as he had returned.

He walked onto the balcony and looked around at the vibrant city, still buzzing with the audible hum of machinery, music and laughter. It was amazing he mused. So full of life so quickly after so much death. He reflected on his situation. In one day he had declared his undying love for Rinoa, received the same sentiment from her and found out he had a real family. Who'd have thought, he pondered that I was related to Laguna? A sharp pain gripped his chest and his head started throbbing, he realised immediately who was responsible,

"Elle, please don't do this! Not now!" He gasped

"I have to show you Squall. You need to know what happened. It's for your own good." her consciousness swam through his own intermingling with it.

A brilliant radiance blinded him and suddenly he was in the town of Winhill with Sis. But they were little. Tiny in Squalls case, only three years old, and painfully thin. 

"Sis, where's mommy?" The little boy tugged impatiently at the sleeve of Elle.

"I told yoo Squally, she's not here anymore. She went away and she's not coming back. The fairies are lookin' after her though!" She exclaimed brightly.

"Did she not like me when I was a baby? Is that why she went away? I'm nicer now mommy! Sis tell her! Make her come back." Squall looked at her pleadingly, his lower lip trembling.

"Come on Squall, We'll go see where mommy is. Your Daddy, Uncle Laguna, will be here for us soon though and we'll go live with him and eat cakes and ice cream all day!" The pair started walking slowly up the hill, Elle holding on tightly to his little hand, Squall sucking absently at his thumb.

"Woohoo! I can't wait to see Daddy!" The little boy stopped suddenly, and looked serious,

"He won't leave us too, will he?"

"Of course he won't! Look at your hair Squall Loire! It's all weird and spiky! Come here till I try and flatten it." She started spitting on her palm, like Raine had done to her when she was little, except Squalls hair just wouldn't stay down, it just sprang back like it had been before. It was a good thing she was so big now, otherwise she couldn't have looked after Squall like Raine had said.

"Elle, you look after the baby. He's your little brother now." She had looked so white, the doctor said she'd lost a lot of blood when the little baby had came out.

"Tell your Uncle Laguna that I'm sorry we didn't wait for him, but that I love him with all my heart and soul."

"Where are yoo goin' Raine?" The little Elle was sucking her thumb and holding onto the side of Raine's bed tightly, her little knuckles white.

"I have to go to the fairies Elle. They're going to look after me." Raine smiled, looking at peace.

"What yoo gonna call the baby Raine? He's all pink and squishy!" Elle had been handed the baby and was laughing in delight.

Raine had looked out of the window then, beyond the confines of Winhill, and the doctor nodded to the priest to begin the last rites. The rain was teaming down the window; a hurricane was battering the small village.

"Squall. His name is to be Squall Loire, Elle. Make them call him that. Not Leonhart, Loire. If he asks about me, tell him I love him, and that I'll always be watching down on him."

"Will yoo be watching me too?" the little girl was playing with the baby's downy hair, it was spiky and brown, it wouldn't stay flat. The two blue eyes gazing up at her seemed to be filled with a storm and she was fascinated with this tiny creature.

She had laughed weakly, "Of course, I gotta make sure you don't cause too much mischief with Laguna!"

Her expression turned to one of pain and she called for her son. As she held him in her arms for the first and last time, she slipped a necklace into his shawl with an explanatory note of what was to be done after she was gone. Her breathing became laboured until, with her last breath she whispered,

"I love you so much Squall, make sure you remember that and tell your Daddy I love him too."

"Raine? Raine! Why yoo not talkin'? Raine!" 

Little Elle fought back tears remembering that night, and hadn't realised until Squall started struggling under her firm grip.

"Stop spitting on me Elle, you're gross!" He looked inquisitively at her red rimmed eyes, 

"Why yoo crying?"

"I'm just…just thinking how far we have to go! Hurry up slow coach, or the monsters will get ya!"

Squalls little face crumpled and he whimpered, "Don't say that Elle, that's not nice of yoo. I'm scared, don't leave me here by myself!"

"I'll never leave yoo, silly! Whether yoo like it or not!" She ruffled his hair and they started giggling. They ran to the unmarked spot where Elle had taken him so often. He lay down and started sucking his thumb, rubbing the grass gently with his other hand. She looked on at her little brother; hoping Uncle Laguna would be here soon.

A shout interrupted their moment of peace. "There they are!" A large, burly red-faced man hauled Squall up off his resting place and dangled him painfully by the arm above the ground.

"You little cretin. Just as bad as your no good father. How often do you have to be told too stay the hell away from here? You don't deserve to be near her, you killed her. You and your idiot father." The man spoke with pure hatred dripping from every word.

The small boy began to cry. Elle was kicking the man in the shins, screaming,

"Don't listen to him Squall he's a liar! Yoo're a good boy, Raine loved yoo! Yoo're a bad man! Leave him alone! Leave him alone!"

He paid no attention to the girl, instead pulling Squall further up so he was eye to eye with the frightened child.

"Not content with killing Raine, you try and turn this little princess bad too? Well, we're having none of that. You're going away Leonhart, far away where you can't hurt little Elle."

"No! Please, I'll be good, I pwomise! Elle's my sis, she's gotta take care of me! I love Elle!" Squall pleaded, but it was futile.

"No one cares about you Leonhart. Not even your idiot father. He can't even be bothered to come and collect his spawn. You're nothing and you will always be nothing. Deal with it." The red faced man sneered, Elle was still kicking him,

"He's not Leonhart, he's Loire! Raine said so, Raine said so! Yoo gotta call him Squall Loire! Put my brother down!"

The man tossed Squall away like a rag and he fell badly, becoming unconscious. He made to pick up Elle gently, but she ran to Squall's side and started screaming as she saw the blood pouring from an open head wound.

"Yoo killed him! Yoo killed my brother! I'm telling Uncle Laguna! He's gonna be mad at yoo!" she sobbed hysterically.

"He's not dead princess, he's sleeping. Now come on, why don't you come get some ice cream with me? My wife just made some this morning!" the man said cheerily, trying to placate her.

"Only if Squall comes." She sniffed

"Tch. Fine. But we're not feeding him." He picked up the boy roughly and carried them to the house. 

Later that night when the two returned to the house where they stayed with the old women they found that that Squall's toy were gone, not that he had many to start with. Elle had always had many; the villagers loved her and gave her presents every day, not just birthdays and Christmas. Squall had never had a birthday or a Christmas. His one toy was an old blanket that he'd had since birth, and now it was missing, along with his makeshift bed of old crates and torn quilts. 

"Where's Squall's things? Where is he gonna sleep?" Elle demanded.

"He's going to sleep on the floor. It's better than he deserves. I threw that old blanket out, it was dirty." The old women eyed Squall distastefully and sniffed.

"But it was his. And he'll freeze without a bed and bedclothes."

"What's your point Elle? Don't give him any of your blankets either, or he'll not be here when you wake up. Good night princess, Squall, get in the corner." She ordered.

Squall curled himself up into a small ball in the corner and started crying. A flash of silver around his neck caught the woman's eye.

"Ah hah! Been thieving have you? This necklace ain't yours, it was Raine's and she would never have given it to you." She attempted to snatch it triumphantly, but Elle leapt in front of Squall.

"It is Squall's! She gave it to him. Don't dare touch it or **I** won't be here when **you** wake up!" Elle's threat was not empty and the old woman backed down.

"Tch. Fine."

"Why are so mean to him? He's only a little boy, he's never done anything to anybody." Elle's curiosity got the better of her.

"He killed Raine. Him and that stranger robbed us of her. Why aren't you angry that he did that?" the old woman despaired.

"He didn't. Raine wanted to go see the fairies. So she went, it had nothing to do with Squall." Elle explained calmly, silly woman; they'd been mistaken! Now they'd like Squall she reasoned.

"Giving birth to that thing killed her Elle!" this shocked Elle into silence for a moment, but the woman's smugness at thinking she had won was short lived.

"No. Squall saved her, she told me so. She said he was a gift from the fairies, and that one day he would show us all what it meant to have the strength and courage and pride of a lion. He's going to be a great man and accomplish wonderful things she said. 

Her and Greiver are always watching over him she said, and Raine doesn't lie. So she'll be seeing what yoo're doing to her little boy and she won't like yoo. Squall, come and share my bed, snuggle under and get warm. I'll always look after yoo." With that, the pair had fallen into an easy sleep; huddled together to keep warm in such a cold hearted town.

Squall woke out of the dreamlike state to find Elle standing over him.

"Are you ok Squall?" She asked, concern etched on her face.

"Yeah. Thanks for that, I really needed to remember how much everyone has always hated me even when I was small." He snarled. He never was in the best of moods when he woke, Elle remembered with a smile and let it pass without comment.

"I thought you'd like to know about Raine."

"Yeah. I'm sorry I snapped. It was nice to see I was loved. What happened after that sis?" he inquired.

She paused and thought back, "Well, about two weeks after that, we went to the orphanage, met the gang and had fun!"

He laughed softly, "And you couldn't have shown me that?"

"I will one day, right now this was more important. Sweet dreams Squall, get snuggled under the covers and warm up, you're freezing." She called as she closed the door softly behind her.

"Yes sis. Good night."

He got undressed and slipped under the warm sheets careful not to wake Rinoa, but still she murmured sleepily, "Hmm? Where have been sweetie, missed you…" 

"I was just finding out about myself, I…"

But she was already asleep again. He let himself drift into a sleep littered with memories of the past.


	5. Certainty

Disclaimer: I wished owned ff8. I don't. Lesson: wishes don't come true, even if you sacrifice a small, yellow fruit fly on an altar and make that wish.

~*Chapter 5*~

Squall stirred at the strange sensation at his abdomen. It was fluttering, soft and infinitely gentle, yet at the same time ticklish to the point of sadism. He prised open his eyes to see Rinoa trailing a strand of her silken hair lightly across his stomach. She grinned at him when she saw she had his attention and used his shoulders to pull her up his body. When their heads were level she kissed his mouth hungrily, savouring the shivers he sent running up and down her spine. She broke the kiss reluctantly in order to breathe.

"Good morning gorgeous. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, but I do have a request to make."

"Which would be what exactly?"

"Can I be woken like that every morning?"

She laughed and ruffled his hair playfully, "Only if you're very good!" she paused for a second, mischief coupled with a new look he had never seen before sprang to her eyes.

"You know Squall, I'm always saying what a great kisser you are, right?"

"Uh, yeah…"

"So that must mean you're pretty good with your tongue, right?" she continued smoothly.

"Rinoa…where are you going with this?" He started to shift uncomfortably in the bed, which now seemed unbearably small and stifling.

"Well baby, I was just thinking…I wonder how well your tongue would perform on…other parts of my anatomy…" she finished quietly and he recognised the look that had eluded him; lust.

"Rin, what are you saying? I don't think I'm hearing you right."

She kissed him passionately, tugging lightly on his hair. He sat there stunned for a moment and embarrassed. Sensing his discomfort, she pulled away slightly to look in his eyes. In them she saw her own emotions reflected back at her, but in them, fear was also present. What was he afraid of? Getting caught? Was he scared in case Seifer and she had…no, that definitely wasn't it. Then it hit her; he was afraid to hurt her, to let her down, even in this way. A small smiled played around her lips,

"You've got to stop being so protective Squall. You could never do anything to hurt me."

"Wha…?" she put a finger to his lips to silence him and buried her face into the nape of his neck. Hyne, he always smelled so good, even after just waking. Before she realised what she was doing, her lips were caressing his neck, sucking and biting the tender skin, leaving it rosy in her wake. She moved back to his lips and bit his bottom lip lightly, surprised but happy with his reaction. He enveloped her in his arms and laid her gently down, never once breaking from the kiss.

She moaned softly and he moved away to see if she was alright,

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, apart from you stopping, meanie!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in toward her,

"Rin, what's gotten into you today? You haven't been possessed again, have you?"

She stuck out her tongue and smiled, "Can't your girlfriend give you a little kiss without being accused of being possessed?"

"This is more than a little kiss Rinny."

"True. My little kisses don't usually have quite this effect…" She looked pointedly at his crotch. He reddened and tried to push her off,

"It's not my fault Rin! Hyne, I can't help it if you act like that and…"

She interrupted him by putting her hand over his mouth, "I never said it was a bad thing Squall. In fact, it was just the reaction I was hoping for."

"Rin, are you sure? I mean, this is a big step, for both of us. Once it's done, there's no going back…" He whispered hoarsely.

She didn't answer in words. Instead, she wordlessly pulled the nightdress over her head and stood there for what seemed like an eternity. His jaw was just about on the floor, and he had to remind himself to close it. Hyne, she was beautiful. Perfectly proportioned from the curves of her hips to the swell of her breasts, her flawless skin seemed to glow with an inner radiance. A moment of uncertainty was replaced by her need for him and she took his hand and placed it on her breast. He took the hint and they began kissing deeply. He threaded her fingers through his, murmuring her name softly. Scooping her up, he laid her delicately on the covers and began covering her body in tender little butterfly kisses. She sighed happily and gave herself freely to the moment and to the man she loved.

~*~*~

"Kiros, you think he'll call me Dad one day?"

"Perhaps. Give it time Laguna, it's not even been 24 hours." Kiros sighed at his friend's lack of patience for not the first time in his life, and he was certain it would not be his last. Ward merely gave off an air of disbelief.

"Where are those two crazy kids anyway? The rest of them were down here hours ago. Say, you don't think they're...y'know?"

"Who knows? It's none of your business anyway, whether they are or not."

Laguna bristled visibly, "It is my business! I'm his father! We've not had **that **talk yet. What if he gets her into trouble?"

"He's nearly 18 Laguna. I'm sure that Garden would not have let a SeeD get to that age without knowing a little thing like basic biology. And even if he did "get her into trouble" as you put it, I'm sure he wouldn't let her stay like that. There's too much of you in him. They're meant to be together. You know it, I know it, even Ward knows it." 

Ward looked offended at his placing in the list and Kiros hurried on, "They're only just starting to realise it. Whatever happens between them is destined to happen and no amount of ill-advised sex education lessons from you is going to change that. So just do what you're told for once Laguna and keep that mouth of yours shut."

"Tch. Fine." Laguna slumped in a sulk, but brightened when Squall and Rinoa made their way down the elaborate staircase hand in hand. He welcomed them heartily, 

"Good morning! How are you both?"

"We're fine thank you President Loire." Rinoa blushed prettily, looking incredibly like her mother Laguna noticed absently.

"Hyne, Rinoa, don't call me that! It's a bit formal for _(What are Kiros and Ward waving like that for? What are they saying? Don't? Don't what? Ah, whatever!)_ my sons girlfriend! Call me Laguna." He blustered on, blind to the attempts of his friends to dissuade him from his dangerous course

Rinoa smiled politely, "Sorry Laguna, I didn't quite hear you correctly. I caught the last part, but I could have sworn you just said Squall was your son! My ears must be playing tricks on me!"

Selphie and Irvine sauntered in arm in arm with Quistis and Zell following closely behind them to see what time they were leaving. They were just in time to hear Laguna proclaim proudly,

"You did hear me right Rin, I'm Squall's Dad!"

Squall smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. Not for the first time he thought, "What a moron." This time however, it was more like, "I can't believe that moron is my father."

Laguna surveyed the shocked faces around him and laughed uneasily, "You hadn't told them yet? Well, I guess I let the cat out of the bag."

"How could I tell them when they were all asleep after you told me last night, and I'm only just up now? When was I supposed to tell them in that non-existent time frame?" Squall spoke quietly, the softness of his tone belying the danger Laguna was facing.

"I'm sorry son." He looked truly regretful and Squall stopped grinding his teeth, he hadn't even realised he was doing it.

"It's ok. Well, you all know now, if you have any questions, ask Elle. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Rinoa stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "Do I get to know from the horses mouth?"

He murmured an assent into her hair and then addressed the rest of his reeling companions. 

"We're leaving for Winhill in 1hr. Prepare yourselves, we meet at the Airstation in 45 minutes."

They all saluted sharply and left. Squall turned to Laguna who looked as if he wanted the ground to swallow him.

"I'm not mad. I just wasn't prepared. So don't worry about it, its ok."

Laguna smiled and offered Squall his hand. He looked at it for a second, before breaking the habit of a lifetime and shaking it firmly. The handshake turned into a fatherly hug and Squall stood paralysed, unsure of what to do. Laguna didn't notice, he was too wrapped up "in the love", as he would later tell Ward. Kiros saw the terror in Squall's eyes and quickly intervened to prise Laguna away gently with the promise,

"Squall will come again soon, won't you Squall?" Squall nodded, dumbstruck, "Then, you can do lots of nice father and son things like fishing and hunting and stuff. But he has to go now and so do you. You have Presidential business to attend to."

"But I want to talk to Squall! I've not had him for so long and now I've got him he has to go? It's not fair!" 

"Laguna, stop whining. You sound like a spoiled brat, which is exactly what you are. Elle's coming to see you today too, so you better hurry and get all your work done, or you won't be able to see her."

Laguna brightened, "She is? Ok. I'll let you get on Squall."

Squall and Rinoa were already walking away when Squall stopped and turned around, inquiring hesitantly, "I'll come back in about a week, if that's ok?" 

"Sooner if you can make it, you're all welcome anytime." He called after Squall's retreating figure.

Laguna caught Squall's voice being carried back to him on the light breeze, "I'll see you soon, Dad."

He grabbed Kiros by the shoulders and shook him excitedly,

"Did you hear that? Did you? He called me Dad!"

"Are you sure it wasn't "man"?"

"Of course it wasn't! Don't ruin it Kiros, my son actually loves and respects me already! I knew I was a way cool Dad! It's because we have such an open relationship, I respect his privacy and his right to have Rinoa and his friends to stay and…"

Kiros had switched off, chiming in with the occasional "Uh huh" and "Right" in the correct places to give the illusion he was listening. He didn't know what Squall had called that day, even Squall himself didn't know. But he gave Laguna his version of events, because it made him happy. And a happy Laguna is more bearable to have around than a whiny one, he reasoned.


	6. Whips

Disclaimer: I don't own ff8! Jeez, would you get off my back! : )

~*Chapter 6*~

The Ragnarok swayed dangerously from side to side; the grind of metal on metal as Selphie scraped a pillar was painful. Squall was standing behind Selphie, a tic he couldn't rid himself of no matter how hard he tried; he just couldn't trust her fully with this thing. He waited till they were safely airborne and exited the cockpit wordlessly, leaving behind the rash of questions that were about to spew from his friend's open mouths. He went and sat in the computer room, his head in his hands. This is happening too much, he thought, I'm going to end up with a permanent imprint of a glove on my forehead. Rinoa had crept up behind him silently and touched him lightly on his shoulder. 

"Wanna talk about it?" She asked softly.

"Not right now. I need to digest the last 24 hours myself before I try and make sense of it with anyone else."

"Can I just ask one teensy little question, Squall?"

"You can ask. Depending on the question though, I might not answer"

"I know you Squall. I know you inside out, better than you know yourself. I knew you before you changed into what you are today and I know you now. But there's one thing that's left me puzzled. You're so proud, so strong, so unwilling to forgive and forget, to let bygones be bygones. Yet you've forgiven Laguna so easily, so quickly. It goes against who you are, who I know you to be. I want to know why."

He sighed; a sad smile betrayed his feelings to her, "I don't know Rin, that's just it. I don't understand it myself. You know how I felt about him, how I still feel. The man's a moron. But, I can understand him. I know why he did what he did; I know why he left. He never went for personal gain; he didn't go for any reason other than to bring a family back together. His family. When he was telling me about my Mom, and how it was meant to turn out, I could see that I was wanted. Do you know how it felt to have that realisation? Until the moment I fell in love with you, I had never known what it felt like to be wanted. Elle showed me my childhood in Winhill last night."

He had paused; she took his hand and gently caressed it, "What was it like?"

"It was awful. They all hated me. Raine, my Mom, had died giving birth to me. They blamed her death on Laguna and me. Elle is the only reason I'm alive. They starved me, they beat me, they wanted me dead. All that to a three year old." He shook his head in disbelief.

"You're not going to do anything stupid at Winhill are you?" She asked, worry apparent in her voice.

He laughed lightly, "No, but I feel like it. I just want to visit her."

"Your Mom?"

"Mmm hmm."

"You still haven't answered my question, not really."

He exhaled loudly and thought for a moment, "I forgave him because I would do the same. I know why he did it and I'd do the same under the circumstances he was in. The woman he loved asked him, no, begged him to leave her and to find a child they both loved. He wanted to wait until she had safely had me then go for Elle, but she wouldn't let him. If you and I were in that situation, I know the same scenario would play out. I can't fault him for the choices we'd both make."

"But what about not coming to get you, leaving you in Winhill? What about not knowing if you were all safe? Three years is a long time to be caught up in business."

"I did the same Rin. I let myself get caught up in Garden, in training to be the best. Training to make sure I'd never again be so weak as to have to rely on anyone the way I'd relied on Elle. I had to prove that I wasn't that scared little kid anymore, to myself, to everyone. I trained so hard I forgot, I lost track of time. I forgot my life in Winhill, which was probably one of my aims. But I also forgot the few friends I had, friends who were my family then, and are my family now. 

Maybe three years is a long time Rinny, and I don't know why he forgot us for so long. I know why I forgot everything for twelve years. I can relate to why he would want to forget. Winhill was a town of hate for us both. He was probably scared. I'm not going to demonise him and give up my chance of something resembling a family because my pride won't allow me to forgive. It's happened too much in the past, and you taught me to move on. So I guess the answer to your question is; because of you."

She just held him then, letting her fingers play with his chestnut tresses, a small gasp escaped her as she remembered, "I meant to ask you right away, but did you call Laguna "Dad" when were leaving?"

He looked at her quizzically and then his face relaxed into a grin, "Uh uh. I said, "See you later, man" to the guy that was guarding the entrance. I might have forgiven him quickly, sweetie, but there's no **way** I'm calling him Dad just yet."

She kissed him on the tip of his nose, "Didn't think so!"

With that, four certain red-faced companions fell into the room, each holding a glass. Squall raised an eyebrow and said smoothly, "Where's our glasses? In fact, where's the drink you're using those glasses for?"

Selphie jumped up and down, a small frown marring her features for an instant, then in her usual sing song voice, "We're sooo-reee! We had to be nosy though Squally, we'd never have found out otherwise! Are we really your family?! That is soooo sweet! HUGS!"

"Don't call me Squally. I hate that. And don't try to hug me. You're all in the bad books."

Selphie pouted and Irvine pinched her cheek to cheer her up. A look of alarm crossed Squalls face. "Selphie? If you're here, who the hell is piloting this thing?"

She bounded around some more and then jumped on his back, "AUTOPILOT! Woohoo! It's so cool, you just put in where you want to go then…"

"Someone please get her off me. Please!"

Irvine manhandled her off, "Someone's had too many E numbers this morning, eh Sefie?"

"I only had three cans of the soda in the mini bar! It was yummy!"

Zell leaned across to Quistis, who was busy rubbing his leg and whispered loudly, "It'll be ok soon Quisty, she'll crash and burn when her sugar rush wears off!"

Mayhem ensued. 

"I am **not** having a sugar rush Zell Dinch! I'm always this nice and happy and you know it! You're just jealous! Let me at him Irvy!" She screeched maniacally, lunging at him. It took all of Irvine's strength to hold her back.

"Easy there my little cowgirl, you don't really want to hurt poor chicken-wuss, I mean Zell." He grinned evilly.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?" Zell was physically shaking with anger; Quistis was trying to placate him to no avail.

"Come on Irvine, apologise to Zell. He didn't mean it Zelly. And Selphie, calm down a bit, you're going to do yourself an injury." Quistis tried to diffuse the situation, but soon got caught up in it also.

"Hey Zell, is that why you and Quisty are dating? Do you like to be dominated? Does she use her whip in the bedroom? Bet that's why you've always got so many scratches, cause they sure as hell ain't from no T-Rexaur in the training centre! What a lame excuse! Its nothing to be embarrassed about!" Selphie taunted.

Squall and Rinoa stood rooted to the spot, jaws open and eyes bulging. Zell turned an interesting shade of red, and started mumbling how it was none of her business, how did she know anyway? 

Quistis however leapt at Selphie, chain poised to whip her into next week, "SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU HYPER LITTLE PYSCHO BITCH!" she screamed.

Four voices started screaming, four weapons ready to be used, until a lone figure jumped into the madness, batting their weapons away with his Lionheart. He stood up gracefully and sheathed the weapon, picking up and handing the scattered weapons to their respective owners as he did so. Looking at him in disbelief were his friends; a scowling Selphie, a manic Irvine, a bright red, shaking Zell and a dishevelled Quistis. An amused Rinoa kept her distance.

"All of you shut up. This is the first time we've had together in two months and you want to start it like this? A fight over one stupid comment? Get a grip. Apologise to each other when you realise what a bunch of asshole's you've been. Until then, get out and leave us in peace." He was very calm, but he was always at his most dangerous when he was calm.

The apologies started immediately.

"I'm sorry I said you were on a sugar rush. I know you're always like that. I was just trying to lighten the mood. It was too serious in here!"

"Hey man, I'm sorry I called you a chicken-wuss. Defending my maidens honour and all that."

"Quisty, I never meant to hurt your feelings. Its you business what you do with Zell and your whip! You were really scary; it's the first time I've seen you loose control! It was awesome! I think it was good for you, so I'm glad we had a fight! Does that mean I'm not sorry? But I am! But I'm not!"

"SELPHIE!" A chorus in unison.

She giggled, "Sorry!"

Quistis brushed the hair back from her eyes and tried to smooth herself down. "I'm sorry for calling you a hyper psycho bitch and telling you to shut up. You're right, it was good for me. I feel a bit more…free."

Zell turned to Squall. "We're all sorry that we did this to you both. And on our first proper day back as a gang as too! We suck, you're both great. Sorry again."

"It's ok. We're just glad you're talking civilly again and…" Rinoa was interrupted mid flow by a computer voice announcing,

"WE HAVE ARRIVED AT DESIGNATED CO-ORDINATES. PLEASE INPUT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS."

Selphie looked anxiously at Squall. "Will I go land?"

"Yeah. Lets do it." 


	7. Some Hero

Disclaimer: Guess what! I married the head of Squaresoft and I now own ff8! Oh wait, that's not true…damn

~*Chapter 7*~

A lone figure stood at the edge of the pretty, rural town. The air hung heavily suspended in the silence. Pastel pinks and vibrant shades of red scarred the sky as dusk approached; a faint breeze stirred the man from his prone position. Five companions held back, tears marring their features as their leader knelt in front of a simple grave, flowers clutched in trembling hands. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Brat!"

"Monster."

"Why don't you run off and just get lost?"

"Go play in traffic."

"Why don't you do us all a favour? Just curl up and die."

"Murderer!"

"No wonder your mother died. Who'd want to raise a thing like you? I'd die to get out of it too."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He blinked back tears, remembering those hate filled days. _Why? Why did they hate a defenceless child so much?_ He stroked the grass covering his mother's burial site and read the intricate inscription; lovingly and painstakingly carved by hand. It had been defaced, but the inscription was still clear:

"Raine Loire; beloved wife and mother. Sleep well amongst the stars, my love."

He laid the flowers down and ran a hand over the cool marble; a silent vow was made. _If I ever find who did this I swear to Hyne he shall not escape my blade._

"Squall!" A sweet voice broke through his murderous thoughts, and he looked up to see the angel in blue standing over him. 

She touched his shoulder slightly, "Are you ok?"

He exhaled sharply, never looking up; "I'm fine. Let's go find an inn. I, I need to rest."

A hint of sympathy crept into her voice, "I know."

She was startled into silence when he looked straight into her eyes, searching so deeply for something, it was almost as if he was trying to reach her soul with those pleading eyes.

"Do you ever visit your mom?"

"No. I don't know where she is. That man would never let me see her. I never even got to say goodbye." Her face hardened, shutting him from her emotions.

He stood slowly and embraced her, his face buried in her raven hair. He whispered softly to her, "I'm sorry. We've both lost so much. But you know what? We should move on, let it go. Maybe we should go speak to your Dad, try to reconcile things?"

"No! No. It's none of your business Squall. You didn't want to get involved in a family feud two months ago, don't break the habit of a lifetime." She stormed off, leaving a confused Squall watching her rapidly retreating form. 

He turned to see his friends gaping at Rinoa's sudden departure, not wishing to explain the situation he called back to them, "I'll meet you at the hotel. I've got some…business to attend to."

They nodded dumbly. He strode off, where would she be? It was a small town, he knew it better than she did, it shouldn't be too hard to find her he reasoned. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the approach of a large, ignorant man. The man jostled him and snapped him from his thoughts.

"Watch where you're going punk!"

"Sorry." Squall mumbled, not even looking up. The man pushed him.

"You should have some respect for those that live here boy. We don't take kindly to outsiders. Why the hell were you at that grave?"

Squall pondered playing all his cards at once, instead he held back, "What happened to that woman's grave stone?"

"I happened to it. That poor woman's relationship to that cretin she spawned and the loser that she married has no place here. It doesn't deserve acknowledgement." He sneered, thinking he had won the battle.

Squall's head snapped up. He recognised that voice. The man who had tormented him at his mother's grave as a child was right here in front of him. The man who had defiled his mothers resting-place. Anger flashed in his grey-blue eyes, a storm seemed to be brewing in them. He drew himself up to his full height and looked the man square in the eyes, his nose an inch from the mans own.

"Do you recognise me?" He asked softly.

"Why the fuck should I recognise a worthless outsider?"

"Take a good look, not just at me, but at everything around you, because these are going to be your last few moments on this planet. Do you recognise me?" Squall yelled at the frozen figure before him

The man shook his head dumbly, "N, no."

"I can't believe your conscience is so under developed that you can't remember someone who's life you made hell. You nearly killed me on so many occasions. Well, I'm glad I finally get the chance to return the favour."

The man's eyes widened first with surprise, then recognition, "Leonhart…"

"Yeah, Leonhart. The kid who was a nothing, a nobody. The kid you tried to kill. The kid who saved the whole fucking world, including this shitty town. Do you still wish I were dead? Do you? Answer me you piece of shit!" He was screaming at the man, tears running freely down his face

The man scoffed at him; "We've never needed you Leonhart. Someone else would've saved us if you weren't here. You're still nothing, you're worthless. My only regret is that I didn't succeed in killing you when you were a snivelling little brat. Nothing much as changed though has it? You're still wailing away, just like in the good ol' days. I can still make you cry. Some hero."

His smug satisfaction changed to terror when Squall took his gunblade from its holster. He raised it above the mans head and brought it down with a warriors cry.

"**Squall**!"

The gunblade stopped an inch from striking the man down and Squall turned to face the voice. 

Rinoa ran over and shook him, "What the hell are you thinking? This isn't you…Squall?"

"He, he was the one Rinoa. He tried to kill me when I lived here." Squall was trembling uncontrollably. The gunblade dropped from his hands.

Rinoa turned and looked at the man, rage noticeable in her eyes, blackening them with her fury. "I think you should leave now, or he won't be the only one trying to kill you."

The man responded by leaving a trail of dust in his wake. Squall felt the world spinning, his head was hurting and he was unsteady on his feet. "Rin? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"I know. I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have went off like that. Squall? Squall?" She looked at him worried; he was swaying from side to side, about to collapse.

"What's wrong? Squall!" Rinoa cried, the last thing he heard before he blacked out.

~*~*~

Squall woke to a bright light, blinding in its intensity. He winced at the pain in his head and slowly opened one eye to see Rinoa sleeping in a chair next to him, a wet cloth clutched in her hands. She had obviously been up half the night looking after him, and he smiled as she snuffled a little in her dream. Both eyes now prised open; he planted a soft kiss on her forehead and made to leave the room. Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself staring at a naked Squall. She was only in a nightdress herself, the windows couldn't be opened in case the chill air had worsened his fever and the room was stifling. He coloured and made an attempt to cover his embarrassment and growing arousal. 

"I, uh…jeez, you have a knack for catching me in bad situations Rinny."

She giggled, " I wouldn't say this was bad. Under other circumstances I would say this was great!" 

He smiled and nervously ran a hand through his hair. She laughed at his discomfort and crossed the room, taking him into her arms and teasing the inside of his mouth with her tongue. He moaned lowly and pressed his body close to hers, one hand reaching to cup her breast. Both were surprised when the door opened behind them and a relieved looking Laguna breezed into the room.

"I'm so glad you're ok, the guy's called me and said you were sick and I…" He trailed off into silence as he took in the scene before him. His son stood naked in front of him, looking both enraged and embarrassed as he held his scantily clad girlfriend close to him. Squall suddenly realised he was still fondling Rinoa's breast and he removed his hand quickly. 

Laguna turned his back to them and coughed nervously, "Uh Rinoa? Would you mind letting me have a word with Squall in private?"

"S, Sure." She looked pityingly at Squall and squeezed his hand before rushing out the room clutching a robe. He quickly grabbed a towel and tied it hastily around his waist. Laguna turned round to face him and exhaled slowly. He limped to a seat and gestured for Squall to sit with him.

"Raine would be so much better at this. Right, don't ask him if they've done anything. Remember what Kiros said. No sex education lessons." He thought wildly.

"Oh Hyne, he's limping, he's nervous. What the hell's he gonna say? He better not start lecturing me…" Squall looked at his feet, then met Laguna's gaze. Laguna cleared his throat nervously. "Get on with it" Squall willed him silently.

"Well…" Laguna began.

"Yes?"

He couldn't help it, and he offered a silent apology to Kiros, "I hope the two of you are being careful, you have your whole lives ahead of you and I don't want anything to hinder your bright futures. I don't want you to regret anything or to resent someone for a mistake that could be easily avoided."

Squall's eyes clouded over with anger, "Look Laguna, you have no right to do this! You shouldn't jump to conclusions, it wasn't what it must have looked like."

"I have every right. I'm you father."

"A father who hasn't been in my life for seventeen years doesn't have any rights."

"That's harsh." He slumped, deflated. Squall defiantly refused to offer any comfort or response. Laguna changed his game plan slightly.

"Look, I'm not trying to lecture you, and you're right, I can't really lecture you. I've not been around and anything I would try to put across wouldn't make an impression on you."

"Good."

"But you know Squall, when a man and a woman love each other the way you and Rinoa love each other things can get out of hand. You can find that a kiss turns into heavy petting, that's when you start touching each others personal, uh, bits and that can lead to your…bits coming into contact themselves and that leads to trouble. If you find yourself in a situation like that, you have to take precautions…"

"Laguna, we…" Squall looked at him horrified, 

"Don't interrupt son, it's for your own good. Anyway, this," he said taking a condom from his pocket, "is a condom. When your, uh, thing gets y'know…you just slip one of these babies on and hey presto! No babies! You need me to show you how to work one? You got a banana or something?" He stumbled on blindly.

"Hell no! No! Stop, please!"

"Oh you already know? That's good! But you know Squall, if anything ever does go wrong and you get Rinoa in trouble, I want you to know you can come to me and I'll help you out in anyway I can. But you're a Loire; you couldn't leave her in a situation like that."

Squall took a deep breath, " Laguna, I know all this. Garden is very responsible in that they wouldn't let the genders live so close to one another without warning us first of the implications of getting carried away. Basic biology is taught at ten years of age. If Esthar are building a Garden of their own, surely you've read over the syllabus to see what is taught and when? And like you said; I'm a Loire. I love Rinoa too much to even contemplate letting anything happen to her. And if anything did, for any reason, I'd be there."

Laguna smiled, "I know. I'm proud of you Squall. I know you'll never let me down. Be good kiddo, I'll see you back in Esthar soon, right?"

"Sure."

Laguna strode out the door, grabbing Rinoa for a hug as she passed on her way in, "Hey sweetheart, you look after him for me!"

"Of course Laguna." She smiled weakly; relieved she was now fully clothed.

Squall sat down heavily on the bed, his head in his hands.

"That was very sweet what you said about me." 

He looked up; "I meant it. I love you Rin."

"I can't believe that happened, you should have seen your face!" She laughed.

"My face! You're usually so pale, I don't think I've ever seen such an…interesting shade of red…"

She hit him playfully, "Shut up!"

He looked at her, one eyebrow raised, "Make me."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe."

She tackled him onto the bed and kissed him, "Well, I suppose that's one way one way to keep me quiet."

"Well, I'm obviously not doing well enough if you can still talk!

"I guess you'll just have to try harder…"

She didn't answer; instead, her response was to kiss him even harder, "Mmmph!"


	8. Everything

Disclaimer: I'm not too fond of chocolate. I also don't own ff8.

~*Chapter 8*~

Rinoa lay in Squalls arms, her hair entwined between his fingers. Ever so often he would plant a soft kiss on her forehead. She sighed in contentment, life was perfect. Wasn't it? There was something missing, a bond was broken somewhere. She pondered what it could be. It wasn't anything to do with Squall, or anyone in her circle of friends. Her work? Was she impatient to begin her first mission as a SeeD? No, it wasn't that either, nor was it anything to do with her status as a sorceress. Could it possibly her relationship with that man? The more she thought, the more it became apparent that this was indeed the cause for her discontent. 

She studied the form of the dozing Squall. Soft brown hair clung a little to his moist brow; rosy lips parted slightly, his tongue darting out intermittently to wet his cracked lips. He looked so peaceful. Only the vermilion scar that ran ragged from his forehead against his pale skin and the coarse, battle hardened hands hinted that he could be anything other than serene. Those hands that had spilt so much blood, which had ended so many lives, were so tender, deceptively soft against her fragile skin. She compared her small hand to his larger one. Her hands were velvety, pale as snow. Yet as innocent as they appeared, something about them hinted at great power. The power she had to keep hidden, at any cost. 

A flame appeared at the tip of her finger at her command and she smiled as she blew it out, fire would be of no use to wake up her sleeping lover. A few murmured words and a small ball of water appeared above Squalls head. Her restraint failed and the water landed unceremoniously on his forehead, he spluttered as the water found its way onto his nose and mouth.

"What the…? Rin? Oh, you are so for it!" He groaned

"I needed to wake you up, I thought this would be…interesting."

"What did you **need **to wake me for? It better not be for, y'know…you gotta give a man time to recuperate."

"Well smarty pants, it's not! Where do you get off on having such a high opinion of yourself?" She teased

"Well Rinny, I just kinda assumed that I must be doing something right. "Oh, oh yes, oh Hyne, oh Squall!" translates to "You're damn good!" in my books." He put on a high, squeaky voice.

"Squall! Meanie!"

He sighed and looked into her eyes, "What do you need to talk about?"

"You know what you were saying the other day? About moving on? I think you're right. I need to go sort things with that man."

"Well, it could be a good start if you call him "Dad", or "Father" or "Caraway" or even by his first name, whatever that may be. Anything but "that man" would probably be preferable." He spoke slowly in a measured tone.

"Vincent." She mumbled absent-mindedly.

"What?"

She snapped back to reality, "His name's Vincent."

"Vincent Caraway. Who'd have guessed?" He mused.

"What's so strange about his name?"

"He just doesn't look like a Vincent."

"Can we go to Deling please sweetie?"

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I didn't mean to rush you." He breathed.

"I'm sure."

~*~*~

On the bridge of the Ragnarok a small figure in a bright yellow dress sat on the lap of a tall man with flowing auburn hair, tied loosely back at the nape of his neck. Under the brim of a too large cowboy hat, big green eyes peered out at him and dark red gravity defying tresses flicked up and out. He held her jade gaze with his own azure eyes and rubbed her nose softly with his own.

"You're amazing Sefie." He whispered into her ear, his hot breath making the small hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention.

"I know!" She giggled. She leapt off his lap and starting doing one of her many uniquely Selphie happy dances.

"Don't you ever sit still?" He asked in amazement.

"Nope!" Selphie stopped dancing and looked at him in confusion. He had become very quiet and was fiddling in his pocket with something.

"Whassup Irvy? Have I made you sad?" She asked, a frown marring her features.

"No Sefie. You could never make me sad. You brighten up my life. Actually, there's **one** thing you could do to make me unhappy." He sighed.

"Well, what would that be so I know to avoid doing it?"

"Well…you know how much I love you Sefie…"

"Yeah but you never told me before! I love you too!" She squealed, interrupting him.

"Wait Sefie, no interruptions this time. I need to get this out. I might have a roaming eye, but that's the only thing that will ever stray, its who I am, and no matter how hard I try I can't stop. I know because I've been trying so hard to stop for you baby. I could never live without you by my side, those years that we lost each other after the orphanage were the toughest of my life. The only thing that kept me going was the hope I'd see you again. Anyway, I just want you to know that I love you and I would never do anything intentionally to hurt you."

"I know Irvy, you know I don't mind. I know what you're like, and at the end of the day, it's me you come home to. What's brought all this on?" She said softly

Irvine responded by getting down on one knee, taking her small hand into his larger one. From one of his trenchcoat pockets he produced a small, polished mahogany box. For the first time in her life, Selphie was shocked into silence.

"Selphie, I may not be perfect. I might be just a stupid wannabe cowboy, but I'm a cowboy who wants to be with you. I might never be as smart as Squall, or as funny as Zell, but I will always love you the way you deserve to be loved. I think you are the most incredible person in the world, I've loved you since the day we met all those years ago back at the orphanage, and I've always known that this would happen one day. I've been preparing this speech since then! 

We might be young, but the whole Ultimecia thing taught me that you have to make every moment count, 'cause we might not live to see tomorrow. I don't want to waste another second of my life without you at my side. You are everything to me, the reason I live. I know I'll never be worthy, but I'll spend the rest of my life trying to be. What I'm trying to say is; Selphie Tilmitt, will you make me the happiest man in the world and do me the great honour of being my wife?" 

He raked a hand through his hair nervously, his tongue wetting his lips as he opened the little box with trembling hands. Inside, a thin band of white gold lay against an inlay of midnight blue. A square diamond graced the middle, sparkling in the dawn light and sending rainbows flying around the cockpit. On either side of the diamond, two small emeralds shone the exact colour of her eyes. A small tear ran from one of her eyes, leaving its tell tale trail down her cheek. Her head was bowed, the cowboy hat hiding her face from him.

"Selphie? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. If I could turn back time, I'd never have…" Irvine was wounded, but her well being was more important.

Selphie looked up, a grin that spread from ear to ear on her petite face. Unshed tears made her eyes sparkle.

"Don't you dare say you'd take it back so soon Kinneas! Give it ten or twenty years, then you can say that!"

"You're not sad?" He asked in a small voice.

She laughed, "What have I got to be sad about? The world's safe, I've got a great job, even better friends and the man I've loved since I was a kid has just asked me to spend the rest of my life with him!"

"Does that mean it's a yes?"

"Duh!"

He leapt up and punched the air, "Booyaka!" 

She looked at him thoughtfully, "That's my line."

"Sorry. Do you like the ring?" Irvine grinned sheepishly

"It's perfect Irvy. Just perfect." Selphie sighed contentedly, snuggling into him. He jumped up again, catching her in his arms and twirling her around, laughing at his good fortune,

"Woah, Irvy! Don't you ever sit still?" She teased

"Nope!" he grinned at his bride to be and pulled her close to him, sealing their true love vows with a tender kiss.

A/N: Silly Laguna, how we all love him. Anyway, check out angels kingdom hearts fic, if you didn't particularly like the game, you will still love it and refugees ff7/8/10, crossover, A Knight of Spira is AMAZING. Now, has anyone seen my banana…? : )


	9. Anticipation

Disclaimer: I want to own ff8. I don't at the moment, but all I need from you are lots of reviews, a banana and a small toothpick and I can put my plan for final fantasy domination into action. MWA HAHAHAHAHA! 

~*Chapter 9*~

The blond surveyed the room coolly, green eyes flicking from face to face. People grew nervous under that gaze, the previously rowdy pub was now reduced to whispered accusations and pointed stares. A tap on the shoulder disturbed the flaxen haired observer and the figure spun to meet the gaze of the one that had intruded on the lone soul's contemplation. Jade eyes met russet brown, which lowered in submission. The formers cool exterior never waned,

"You better have some good news for me." Green eyes regarded the dark skinned man stonily.

"They're in Winhill, about to leave for Deling. Rinoa's trying to sort things with her father, ya know?"

The green eyed one turned to the petite, ashen haired women to his left, scratching a scar that ran from forehead to nose absentmindedly.

"Is this true?" He growled

"AFFIRMATIVE." She barked.

Seifer smiled, he had almost forgotten what it felt like to have such an expression grace his face. His grey-white trenchcoat swirled about him as he turned abruptly, leaving the quiet public house.

"Rent us chocobo's. If we leave now, we should be at Caraway's by noon tomorrow." He shouted his orders at the two members of his posse and they immediately scrambled to carry them out.

"I can't let an opportunity like this go to waste…" The smirk spread across his face, "I'm especially looking forward to seeing **you** again puberty boy."

~*~*~

"Zell, Zell we can't! What if someone sees us?" The slender blond sighed at Zell's exuberance in trying to take her somewhere secret, where prying eyes could not follow their actions.

"Ah relax Quisty! No one knows where we are, and even if they did who cares? We're big boys and girls now! Ah shit! It's rusted shut. Give me a sec would ya? I'm gonna give it a little smack."

Quistis worriedly studied the form of her boyfriend trying to break a bolt on the door of the "secret area" in Balamb. She relaxed a little when she realised he was right, most of the students were in classes right now, Squall and Rinoa were still in Winhill, waiting for the rest of the gang to pick them up, and Irvine and Selphie were readying the Ragnarok for that very task. 

The chances of them being caught were slim to none she reasoned with a contented sigh, though it wouldn't do if a student were to catch an Instructor sneaking off to make out with her boyfriend. She smiled at the thought. These stolen moments in Zell's increasingly inventive hiding spots were becoming less frequent as more demands were made on her time due to her status. She sighed as a resounding thud reverberated around the training centre. A slightly dirty Zell poked his head round the corner and smiled at her endearingly.

"Shall we my love?" He grinned

She nodded in acquiescence, reaching to his face to rub a smudge of dirt from his cheek. He grabbed her wrist and she yelped in surprise as he pulled her roughly inside.

"What are you doing Zell Dincht?" Quistis hissed

He pressed his mouth to hers and she felt a warmth flood her veins. His gloved hands caressed her skin, cradling her face tenderly at one moment; squeezing and grabbing her curves the next. Anyone who thought they knew the quiet Instructor would have thought she would be appalled at such manhandling. She wasn't. In fact, she loved it and he knew it. It made her feel alive, like a woman, not just an Instructor or a world hero. It made her feel loved and wanted, the two things she had been searching for all her life. The two of them had spent many an hour musing that what they had been looking for had been right under their noses the whole time. 

A shiver of excitement ran down her spine and she breathed in deeply, savouring the smell and touch of the gloves. The leather only added to her titillation. She had become a little more daring, a little less concerned about what others thought of her and her actions since she had starting seeing Zell. She had found she could be quite mischievous when he was around to spur her on and she adored it. He had given her that much needed injection of confidence. In return, she had taught him compassion. He no longer forgot birthdays; he bought her sweet little trinkets, "'Cause I thought you'd like it". Invariably she didn't because they were slightly…tacky, but she treasured them because they were from him and because he had taken the time and effort to think of her. Small changes, but ones that were appreciated and noticed. His mother was constantly amazed at these small quirks appearing in her son and never failed to thank Quistis profusely at the Sunday dinner she insisted Zell bring her to without fail.

He broke the kiss and looked into her eyes, blue mirroring blue and bit his lip expectantly. She just giggled and traced the line of his tattoo with a finger. He caught the hand and kept it pressed against his cheek, savouring her soft touch. 

"Zell, we shouldn't be doing this. You can't keep encouraging me to cut class, Xu will go ballistic when she finds out that her advanced GF tutorial was left to its own devices again."

"Quisty? Shut up. Let someone else do the worrying for a change. You do too much, you deserve some time off, and I deserve some time with you. And you're not my Instructor anymore, you can't tell me what to do." He chastised her gently.

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry! You're right. But you know, we should get going. Irvine and Selphie should be about ready by now."

He shook his head, a mischievous glint in his eye. She raised an eyebrow. As used as she was to his unpredictable nature, she didn't see the possibility of him pouncing on her and pinning her against the wall. She was breathing heavily; wondering what he was going to do next. He looked up into her eyes and she saw her own lust reflected in them. He was holding her wrists, tightly enough for it to be a struggle to break free, but not enough to hurt her, just the way she liked. She nodded her head very slightly and saw the grin spread on his face. 

Still holding her captive, he began working the tender skin on her neck, kissing and nibbling alternately, making her squirm in delight at the bittersweet pain. The cool touch of leather snaked its way around her waist, popping the fasteners expertly on her trousers, tugging at them impatiently. The other hand pulled up the peach top, seeking out her breast. She moaned in ecstasy as his mouth closed hungrily around her nipple, kneading the soft flesh with his incessant tongue. Both hands now free, she fumbled with his shorts, releasing him quickly. It was raw, passionate and just what they needed. They found solace and comfort in each others arms and thanked Hyne they did not have to be alone anymore, that love had been bestowed upon them.


	10. Whatever

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy 8 and all related characters not owned by me. Owned by ye gods of Squaresoft. Praise be to Yevon! (Oops, wrong ff!)

~*Chapter 10*~

"Where the hell are they Squall? They were meant to be here two hours ago. My father's going to have kittens, I told him I'd be there for lunch." Rinoa fretted, hugging her knees close to her chest and rocking, a motion that had always held some small degree of comfort for her. Angelo licked her arm and she patted the dog absently.

He rose from the chair in the pub and strode across the room purposefully, taking both of her hands into his single leather gloved one. His other hand was used to tip her chin up so she would look into his eyes, to calm her and make her listen to his reasoning.

"Rinny, something will have cropped up. You know they're still officially on active service, maybe they've been hired. They'll be here as soon as they can. It's not like they'll have just forgotten. Go phone Caraway, explain the situation; tell him we'll be there as soon as we can. Trust me, he'll be ok, he can wait. He's waited for years, a few more hours aren't going to make a difference." He tried to reassure her, but his words of comfort fell on deaf ears. He silently vowed that they'd better not be doing anything unimportant.

She nodded and dutifully sloped off to call Caraway, he took the small cell phone out of his pocket and tried Selphie for the fifth time that day. 

She answered on the first ring; "Hey Squally! We'll be there in five! How you doing? How's Rinny?" She chirruped

"Where the hell have you been? You're over two hours late!" He hissed.

"We lost Quisty and Zell. We found them though, after scouring the _entire_ Garden! You don't even want to know what they were doing! Oh hey, we're here! Hurry up, we can't keep Rinoa's Dad waiting!" She laughed, oblivious to the annoyance in his tone. He hung up wordlessly, his hand moving unconsciously to his forehead. The hand was still there when Rinoa returned.

"What's up?" Rinoa inquired sweetly.

He moved the hand from his head to encircle her shoulders and started moving her toward the door. "Nothing. They're here. What did he say?"

"He said it's fine and just to get there whenever I can." She replied woodenly.

He stopped her and looked in her eyes, though she could remove emotion from her voice, she could never hide anything from him in those eyes. He saw terror.

"What's wrong Rin?" He asked gently.

"Nothing. I'm absolutely fine." She stated defiantly

"Liar." He breathed the word softly; she almost didn't catch it. She looked into his eyes and smiled sadly.

"That bad, huh? The truth is, I'm terrified Squall. What if he hates me for everything I did to him?"

"Then he's a fool. But he won't. Anyone who could hate you would have to be nuts."

She grinned at his attempts to cheer her and squeezed his hand. They spotted the Ragnarok and ran to board, every moment now seemed an eternity to her. She called back to him,

"No kissing in front of him, ok? He doesn't know about us yet, and I'd like him to get used to the idea before we start making out in front of him."

He grimaced at the thought of any public display of affection; it was not in his nature despite the changes, or improvements as she called them, in his character.

"Whatever."

~*~*~

Selphie had told them the journey would take around an hour, so Rinoa and Squall had headed off to the computer room to grab a seat. Of course, Rinoa's seat was Squall's lap and she laid his head against his chest, listening to the beating of his heart, the blood coursing through his veins. He had once said that his heart was beating only for her. The soothing motion of the rise and fall of his chest and the rhythm of his heart were like a lullaby and she drifted to sleep.

~*~*~*~

"Well, look at my little angel! Look how pretty Rinoa is in her birthday dress, Vincent!" Her mother's voice tinkled as she laughed, gesturing to her father to come over.

He smiled at his wife and squatted down to his daughter's side, chuckling her under the chin, making her squeal with delight. "My, my. I didn't realise I had married a Queen, but I must have to have such a beautiful little Princess as my daughter. Why did you pick blue honey?"

"I pick'd it cause it's pwetty! Would you like to kiss Angelo, Daddy?" She offered the small stuffed toy dog to her father. It was tattered and worn, but she refused to pick another. She was very loyal to those with whom she entrusted her love. 

The little dress was a sky blue, taffeta, silk and chiffon layering together to make a special dress for a special little girl. She had insisted on wearing small, glittered angel wings to complete the ensemble, her mother had, as always, indulged her whims. Vincent took the small toy and nuzzled it before handing it back to his daughter. Julia picked her up and whirled her around the room, making her laugh.

"Did you have a nice birthday sweetheart?" Julia enquired sweetly.

"Yes Mommy, I had a lovely birthday. All my fwiends and a big cake and music and pwesents! Thank yoo for my dollies. They're bootiful, just like yoo!" The little girl replied in a sing song voice.

"You're welcome honey. But you're the most beautiful of all!" She tickled the little girl and she ran behind her father, giggling. He ruffled her hair and sat her on his lap.

"So how does it feel to be a big five year old Rinny?" Vincent asked in his deep tone.

She regarded the question with an air of seriousness and then broke into a smile. "The same as I felt yesterday!"

"That's a good answer sweetie. I have another surprise for you tomorrow, you were meant to get it today, but it never arrived on time. Is there anything you super dooper wanted for your birthday that you never got?" Her mother inquired.

"Well, I super dooper would like a blue bike…" her parents smiled over her head; this was the surprise Julia was picking up tomorrow, "but I really want a baby sister too!"

The room grew quiet and both Vincent and Julia reeled. Secretly, Julia was relieved. She had been waiting for the right moment and now…

"Well, Rinny. You're a very lucky girl." She announced. Vincent looked at her confused.

"How's that mommy?"

"Because I went to the doctors last week, and he told me that we're going to have another baby! I can't promise it'll be a girl, but…" Julia never got to finish, the little girl ran over and jumped on her, knocking the wind from her lungs in her rush to hug her mother.

"This is the best birthday ever! I can't believe yoo got me a baby sister for my birthday! I don't mind if it's a boy though, I'll be the best big sister ever! She squealed excitedly. Vincent came over and lifted his spirited daughter from Julia's lap.

"What a lot of excitement you've had today Rinny, lets get you to bed. Kiss mommy and say good night."

"Good night mommy, I love yoo and the baby! Night night Daddy, I love yoo!" she yawned sweetly, and padded up to bed, kissing them both as she left.

Julia looked worriedly at her husband; he hadn't said a word to her since she had broken the news of her pregnancy. 

"Are you angry?" She enquired in a small voice.

"For the love of Hyne, yes, I'm angry! I'm angry you didn't tell me sooner! Julia, this is wonderful. Our family will be complete. How far are you?" He smiled at his wife with love in his eyes and kissed her tenderly, one hand caressing her tiny bump, noticeable now he knew about it.

"Just three months." 

"We'd better get organised! So much to do and only six months to do it in!"

She laughed, "Calm down Vin, it's a while away yet."

He pulled her into his embrace and heard a small giggle as his lips met with those of his wife. He broke the kiss and looked to the top of the flight of stairs, seeing an angelic Rinoa sitting in pink pyjama's printed with moogles sitting on the top stair, giggling at them.

"Ooooooooh! Yoo and mommy were kissing!"

He smiled, "Rinoa Heartilly, bed, now. I'll come and read you a story if you're tucked in bed in five seconds."

He began a countdown and laughed as the little girl scampered off to bed. She loved story times with her daddy.

~*~*~

Rinoa padded down the stairs the next morning to see her father openly sobbing, his head in his hands, pulling at his hair. The house was quiet, the servants were nowhere to be seen and the little girl despised the uneasy atmosphere. He looked up to see his daughter and quickly tried to compose himself, wiping his eyes hastily on his sleeve.

"Good morning sweet pea." His red rimmed eyes ached with pain, glassy with unshed tears.

"Daddy? Why yoo cryin'?" the little girl could not keep the fear from her voice and her eyes welled with tears of sorrow for her father.

"Mommy went to get your surprise early this morning and she had an accident. The car was, was hit by a tree. It's very windy." He said absently, he couldn't believe this was real.

"Where's mommy? Where is she? I want mommy! Daddy!" The little girl was panicked, screaming.

He picked his daughter up and placed her in his lap. She lay her head against his chest, hearing the soothing sound of his heart still beating, blood still running through his veins. She rubbed her toy dog absently against his chin and he was thankful for the small comfort a tatty toy could bring. He smoothed her hair, a dry sob escaping his lips. Hyne, she was so like her. How could he go on? Reminded every day by his precious daughter of the two he had lost. 

The girls voice was muffled by his chest, but he could make out, "Is mommy ok? Is the baby coming to see me?"

He calmed himself and spoke in a measured tone, emotion cracking his voice. "Mommy died an hour ago. The fairies have taken her to see Grammy and Pawpaw. Do you remember them?" 

The child nodded, tears making silent trails down her cheeks. He continued, fumbling in his pocket, "She'll be happy there and she'll wait for us. Her and the baby. This is for you Rinoa. Mommy wanted you to keep it safe until you see her again. It's the ring I gave mommy the day we got married. It's too big now, but I've put it on one of mommy's chains. You can wear it round your neck till it fits your fingers." 

He slipped the chain around her neck and the floodgates containing her grief opened. From her tiny body, came great, wracking cries of pure sorrow that shook him to his very core. Two hearts lay broken in that house, neither one ever fully healed. Neither could bear to lose another so dear, but the ferocity with which they guarded that dear to them caused them to lose one another. Irony, it seems, has a wicked sense of humour.

~*~*~

"Don't go!"

She awoke from the nightmare, wild eyed, fingers clutching desperately at thin air. Squall was holding her tightly, smoothing her hair to try and calm her. Tears of grief ran freely and her body convulsed with the effort of purging the unhappiness from her body. He was murmuring words of comfort into her hair,

"It's ok. It's ok Rin. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere."


	11. Maybe

Disclaimer: I own the world, as I now have all the instruments for world domination except a banana (anyone? A little help here people!). I don't, however, own ff8. Decide which is true and which is false, it's a game in a fan fic! 

~*Chapter 11*~

Squall brushed the damp hair from her forehead, worried at what could have caused such a violent state in his normally tranquil girlfriend.

"What was that?"

"I…I had a nightmare. I get it sometimes. My mom the night before she died, then the morning I found out she was dead. I think sometimes it was my fault that she died. That if I hadn't wanted that bike so badly, maybe she'd still be here. Maybe I would have had a brother or sister. Maybe my life would have gone in a different direction." Her face was contorted with pain at the hurtful memories.

"Maybes won't change anything Rin. It wasn't your fault. I read what happened, you know yourself. You had nothing to do with it. Do you regret the way your life has turned out? Do you regret meeting me? If all this…stuff hadn't happened to us, it's unlikely we'd have ever met." He was hurting at her speculation, but pride would not let him show it. By attacking her with questions, he made her realise his pain.

"Of course I don't regret anything. I wouldn't change it for the world. I wouldn't change you for anything. I just wish I could've spent more time with her. I know I'm selfish, you never even knew Raine, but…" He bristled at the mention of his mother's name, but relaxed almost immediately. 

It was becoming easier for him to talk to her about things she noticed. He chuckled her under the chin and she giggled. He was so like her father, maybe that's why she was so opposed to him to begin with, she mused. 

"Well, if I can be the girlfriend of one of the most stubborn men in the world, I'm sure I can be the daughter of the other." The words were hanging in the air between them before she realised it, and she covered her mouth, eyes wide in horror. He just laughed.

"You're right as always Miss Heartilly. And I'm sure that since I'm the boyfriend of **the** most stubborn woman in the world, I can learn to get along with her equally stubborn father."

An incessant pounding at the door startled the couple and Squall dropped her hand quickly, she hadn't even realised he had it. She pouted a little, but painted her face with her normal bright smile to cover her feelings. An even more bouncy than usual Selphie, if that was even possible, burst into the room, a bashful cowboy and a bemused hand in hand Quistis and Zell trailing after her. Selphie's grin spread from ear to ear and she bounced happily on the spot for no apparent reason. She made no move to tell them why they were all here, contented just to dance and break into spirited laughter every few seconds. 

It was Quistis who finally spoke, clearing her throat she announced, "Selphie said she had something important to tell us that couldn't wait. Apparently, we have all got to hear it together." 

Her tone was apologetic, she was still feeling bad at holding back Rinoa's departure and now they had intruded on what was obviously a private moment between the two. Squall glanced at her briefly, a look that indicated it was ok and not to worry about it and she nodded gratefully, a smile playing about her lips.

Selphie nodded in agreement, still bouncing and not explaining. Squall's patience began to fray and he prodded her gently. "Selphie? What's so important that couldn't wait?"

She stopped dancing and the grin was replaced by a look that could only be described as pure joy. She regarded her friends warmly and moved to Irvine's side, snuggling into his body as he held her in his arms. Her voice rang out clear as a bell around the room, stunning her friends into shocked silence.

"We're getting married!" She chirruped, Irvine beamed down at his fiancee.

Zell recovered more quickly than the others, though it still took him several seconds. "Say what? The consummate ladies man is settling down? Of his own free will? You ain't pregnant, right Sefie?" He stumbled over the words in his haste to get them out.

Anger flashed in Irvine's eyes, "Don't go disrespecting my woman, Dincht. We're in love, that's why we're getting married."

Zell held his hands up in surrender, "Sorry man. It was just a shock y'know? But it's great news! Who'd have guessed you two would be the first to take the plunge? I always thought it would be this loser asking Rin that would lead the way!" He ruffled Squalls hair; he in return swatted him off like an annoying bug.

The other two women regained their faculties and crowded around Selphie to coo at the ring and ask how romantic the proposal was. The men laughed uneasily. Squall broke the testosterone-induced gridlock and shook Irvine's hand. Zell did the same and it ended in the three of them slapping each other on the back and hugging. When Zell and Irvine started talking about favourite positions, Squall stalked off quietly to the group of crowing women. He came up behind Rinoa silently and nuzzled her ear, narrowly missing a large diamond in his eye as Selphie thrust her hand in his face,

"Look!" she commanded, giggling at the shock registered on his face from such a near miss. He dutifully looked at the ring and found himself surprised that Irvine would have picked something so tasteful. Well, he reasoned, it must be true that still waters run deep. He hugged Selphie and wished her well, catching sight of a wistful looking Rinoa out of the corner of his eye. Was she upset that he hadn't been the first out of their group to ask their other half to marry them? He realised that she was staring out the window, and he looked to see what could be the reason for her nostalgia. Deling loomed ahead. She was afraid, thinking about the coming encounter. He crossed the room and held her wordlessly, deaf to the sounds of his friend's exuberance behind him. She was all that mattered at this moment. She was all that ever mattered.

~*~*~

Rinoa paced the halls of her father's residence, nervously awaiting his arrival. "Always keeping people waiting, it's ridiculous!" She grumbled to no one in particular. 

Squall looked on amused; he had never seen her this nervous. "Will you calm down? You're going to give yourself a heart attack at this rate!" He stood in front of her to block her pacing. 

She merely paced around him. The doors behind them opened with a creak, and a distinguished man entered the room, the military air surrounding him apparent. He regarded Squall coolly, nodding to acknowledge him, before turning to his daughter.

"You're late, young lady." He stated. It wasn't a challenge, merely a fact.

"So are you." Defiance was apparent in her tone. She softened her face to counteract her sharp retort.

He glanced at Squall again, "I can't say I approve of the company you keep these days Rinoa. At least those bumbling buffoons in the resistance were harmless." He remarked coldly. 

She bristled, her face contorted with rage. "You don't know anything about him! All you know is that he's a SeeD."

He interrupted her impatiently, "That's all I need to know."

"Don't you even care that this is the man I love? The man I want to spend the rest of my days with?" She flung the words at him like ammunition and he visibly recoiled.

Rage flared in his eyes, "Is this true Leonhart?" Squall opened his mouth to answer; a look from Caraway told him it would not be wise and he shut it again.

"He'll break your heart. He's no good."

Tears ran freely down Rinoa's face, "You're right, he is no good. He's perfect! He's good, and kind, and gentle. He's saved my life on so many occasion, he protects me!"

"Well, he'd need to wouldn't he? Seeing as it's his fault you were in danger in the first place!" Her father broke in angrily.

"It' not his fault! Don't blame my mistakes on him! You always blame my shortfalls on other people! It was my choice. This is my choice and I choose Squall!" She screamed at him venting her frustration.

"Don't you take that tone with me young lady! By Hyne, what would your mother think?"

"Don't bring mom into this. You can't guilt trip me this time." Squall looked at Rinoa with pride in his eyes. She was finally standing up for herself against her father, she was getting stronger.

Caraway hung his head, defeated. "What are you here for Rinny?" He was weary and it came over in his voice.

"I, I came to…I came to ask I if can be a daughter to you again. If anything should happen, I don't want us to be on bad terms. I wanted to let you know about me and Squall, I respect you enough to not want you to find out from someone else." 

Her father looked up at her, seeing his daughter in a new light. She had grown, matured in the past months, probably due to this Leonhart. He was good for her. Squall earned a small amount of grudging respect from the older man.

She continued on, her tone a little gentler, "Did you know I helped to defeat Ultimecia?" He shook his head dumbly, "Well, I did. I helped save the world, Dad."

His eyes brightened at the use of that name, "How? You're a good fighter Rinny, but not nearly as powerful as those who grace the ranks of SeeD."

She hesitated, fearful of his reaction; "I'm pretty good with magic. In fact, I'm excellent with magic. But then, most sorceresses are."

His heart jumped into his throat, "You, you're a sorceress? Then, Leonhart…is your knight…" he rasped.

She merely nodded, her head bowed. He took her in his arms as he had when she was a child, a little hesitantly at first, the embrace growing warmer by the second. She relaxed in his arms, tears staining both fathers and daughters face.

"I love you Rinoa."

She choked, she hadn't heard those words from him in so long, "I love you too."

~*~*~

Rinoa and Caraway had just returned from visiting Julia's grave, a sombre mood prevailed, but father and daughter were together and happy to be so. Both had acknowledged wrongs and mistakes, both had forgiven. Rinoa legs felt like lead, it had been a long day. For once, she merely smiled at Squall, mouthing "Good night" as she made her way heavily to her childhood room. Squall eyed Caraway warily.

"Don't look so worried Leonhart. I'm not quite the ogre you think me to be."

"With all due respect Sir, I'm not worried. I'm just glad to see Rinoa's happy, that you've been reconciled." He chose his words carefully

"I believe you had something to do with that. My daughter loves you; she'd go to the ends of the earth for you. Don't screw it up. If you hurt her, I'll kill you." The tone was friendly, the threat serious. 

"I would never hurt her. I love her. Which is part of the reason I wanted this reconciliation. It is partly for my own selfish desires."

"And what would they be exactly?" Caraway looked at him, suspicion clearly written on his face.

"Look sir, I know you haven't known me for long. You're an intelligent man, you know the bond between a sorceress and her knight is strong, easily and quickly forged, impossible to break if it is true. Our bond is true; it was proven after we defeated Ultimecia. I was lost, broken. Dying. Your daughter found me, healed me. She changed me. She saved me, in every way a person can be saved. I want to seal that bond, but I want to do it with your approval. I believe she would have me, with or without your blessing, but I don't want her to regret not having your blessing in later years. I wanted this reconciliation so that I could ask you for your daughters hand."

"You're both so young. Why should I give my blessing to a man I hardly know to marry my daughter who is barely a woman?" He wasn't trying to throw the boy, he had decided he liked him. He did indeed know of the bond he spoke of. He knew their love was true. He wanted the man to prove himself worthy.

"I adore your daughter. I would willingly give my life for her. I know we're young, but life is too precious to waste time waiting. Waiting to live, waiting to die. It makes no difference. In the end, waiting is futile. Every moment is too short, every second is precious. I spent forever and a day without love, shutting myself off from the world. Rinoa changed that, changed me. When you find something this…amazing, you have to grab it with both hands and never let it go. She taught me that, she's taught me so much, so quickly, without even realising it. I don't want to waste anymore more of my life on regret, and I'll regret every second that passes without Rinoa as my wife. Life is too short for that." Squall spoke with a passion that surprised Caraway, and he grinned.

"Well, you convinced me. You remind me of myself, when I was your age."

Squall chuckled quietly, "Yeah, she says that a lot. Apparently we're as bad as each other, too stubborn for our own good. She gets mad at me for that."

"Just like her mother. Don't let her try and browbeat you, I don't think she'd succeed, but it's a bit of friendly advice anyway."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Look after her for me. She said you lost your mother, guess you have a lot in common." Caraway searched the young mans face for a reaction, puzzled when all he found was a tinge of sadness in his smile.

"Yeah. She died giving birth to me. I never knew her. My father was off at war, when he came back he was told I was dead. The villagers didn't like either of us much. That's how I ended up in the orphanage with Cid and Matron. I only found out who my father was last week."

"That must have been hard for you, son. Who is your father?" Caraway was impressed at the dignity Squall had shown. Squall cringed slightly,

"Laguna Loire."

"The President of Esthar? Come to think of it, you do look very alike, I don't know how I never noticed before." 

"Well, it's not really something I'd like broadcast." Squall ran a hand through his hair, remembering all of Laguna's "best" moments.

"Wh…" Caraway cut himself off, he compared the son to the father and realised why he may not want the relationship to be common knowledge. The son was quiet and dignified; the father was a loud, bumbling buffoon. Definitely a difference in character. He squeezed the boys shoulder and headed up to bed.

"There's a guest room made up, make yourself at home. Good night, Squall."

Squall watched the retreating figure and shook his head. "So now I'm Squall? Well, better than Leonhart, I suppose." He mumbled. He lay on the couch to gather his thoughts and grinned widely. He had his blessing. He wouldn't ask yet. Soon, but not yet. As he thought of ways to ask her, his eyelids grew heavy. Sleep washed over him and he was soon sprawled on the couch, breathing deeply. Caraway saw the prone figure snoring lightly on the couch and smiled. Placing a blanket over Squall to keep the cold at bay, he made his way back up the stairs with the glass of water he had been down for. Young love must be tiring, he reflected with a chuckle.


	12. Lost

Disclaimer: I don't own ff8. I do however own a small dog named Teal and an 11" Squall statue.

~*Chapter 12*~

Squall groaned, the grate of metal tearing him from his dreams. He looked around at his surroundings in a daze, trying to work out where he was. 

"Morning son. You sleep well?" 

Squall jumped as the voice boomed from the stairs. Caraway strolled down from the top floor, heading for the rattling letterbox that had awoken Squall.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks sir. I, I musta dozed off, sorry about that…" He stumbled over his words, he was not at his best in the mornings, especially when he was attempting to put on a suitably impressive front for his girlfriends father.

"Not at all, don't worry about it. And enough with this sir business, call me Vincent." The man gave him a conspiring wink, as if they shared a secret, and went to answer the door.

"I suppose we do," Squall mused inwardly, "at least until I ask her." Caraway's pondering interrupted his thoughts.

"Who could it be at this hour in the morning? If it's one of those numbskull guards, I swear to Hyne I'll…"

He flung open the door to an unexpected face.

"Long time no see Caraway." The smirk in the voice was unmistakable. Squall leapt from the couch to see Seifer slouching against the doorframe. The cool green eyes focused on Squall and a grin spread over the blonde's face.

"You!" Squall hissed through gritted teeth, unable to keep the rage from his voice.

Seifer merely chuckled, his posse appearing from seemingly nowhere to flank either side. They nodded coolly at Squall before returning their rapt attention to their leader's face.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Commander Puberty! Not off saving the world today, pal?"

Caraway blustered in, indignant at the young mans imposition, "I thought I told you never to show your face around these parts again Almasy."

Seifer's eyes flicked to Caraway, "I am well aware of that Sir, and I do hope you'll forgive my imposition, waking you at such an early hour! But Squall and I have some…unfinished business." His tone was sincere, only Squall could see the mocking in his eyes.

Caraway looked to Squall, he nodded and Caraway moved back into the hall. Squall was suddenly weary, tired of having to deal with Seifer and his antics.

"What do you want here Seifer?" He sighed. The other boy's face grew serious and a pleading look took hold of his eyes.

"You, you know I was controlled by Ultimecia, right? I never wanted to hurt anyone, I never meant to. But I couldn't stop myself. It was like, I was watching myself kill all these innocent people, but I couldn't do a thing." He faltered, a tear in his eye.

"What's your point Seifer?" Squall growled, he wasn't being taken in by an act this time.

"I want to come back to Garden, ahh!" he winced as Fuujin kicked his ankle discretely, "I mean, **we** want to come back to Garden. We want our old jobs back. I want to try again as a SeeD. Cid said it was ok with him, but that the final say lies with you."

"Why should I give you a second chance? You hurt so many people, you tried to kill us for Hyne's sake!"

"I know. I know you might never forgive me, but it wasn't me. I could maybe fight you Squall, but I would never have done anything to Rinoa, or Sis. You gotta believe me. I need to sort my life out, and Garden is my life. Give me a second chance, Squall."

An arm snaked round his waist and dark hair spilled over his shoulder. Rinoa, still half-sleeping had her head on his shoulder, smiling sweetly despite her rude awakening.

"Hi." She murmured, stretching up to peck his lips. He smiled down at her, forgetting for a moment the visitors. His face hardened when Seifer began clapping, 

"What a lovely scene! The sorceress and her knight. Touching."

"Have you forgotten why you're here?" Squall spat. Seifer's cool façade faltered briefly, but never waned. The smirk was still there.

"Squall? Give him his second chance." Rinoa mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 

She looks so cute when she does that, all vulnerable and…"What did you say?"

"Give him a second chance. You got one, don't deprive Seifer of his."

"Listen to the wife Squall!" Seifer suggested helpfully. Squall answered with a glare. His eyes softened when he turned to Rinoa,

"But Rin, after all he did…"

"It wasn't his fault. What about what I did? I set Adel free, but you forgave me. Let it go Squall. Too much has been lost already." Seifer shot Rinoa a grateful look, she responded by merely raising her eyebrows.

He sighed, defeated. "Ok Seifer. You all can come home, on two conditions. You will take the next SeeD test, if you fail, you're out. Also, you'll have to explain what happened to everyone at Garden and make a formal apology. It's not for my benefit; it's for yours. I don't want to have to save you from lynch squads every day." Squall smirked at the repressed anger on Seifer's face.

"Tch. Fine." He brightened suddenly and ruffled Squall's hair; Squall winced as Seifer's roughness pulled out a few hairs.

Seifer pulled away abruptly, leaving Squall rubbing his head.

"Catch ya later Commander Puberty! We'll be home in a week! Tell chicken-wuss I'm looking forward to seeing him!" he yelled over his shoulder, his two flunkies running to keep up with his purposeful strides.

He closed the door and leaned back on it heavily, closing his eyes and contemplating what had just happened, ""Weird…" He muttered under his breath.

He felt Rinoa snuggle into him and relished the scent of her light perfume. He brushed her silken hair lightly with his lips and felt her smile into his chest.

"You wanna come back to bed? It's still early…" She yawned.

"I'll just stay here Rin. You go back up, I'll wait on you. I don't want to offend your father."

She smiled and made her way wearily back upstairs, "Thank you. I love you, d'you know that?"

"Nope. You'll have to tell me more."

"How about I show you sometime as well?" she teased gently, speaking just loudly enough for him to hear. She giggled at the blush that grew on his cheeks and ran the rest of the way to bed.

He just shook his head and smiled. She was going to be a handful.

~*~*~*~*~

Seifer quivered, then reprimanded himself. He was scared of no man. Well, no man except this one.

"Did you get the specimen?" The man barked. Seifer cowered and nodded, handing over the few strands of hair he'd ripped from Squall's scalp.

"No tongue in your head boy? No matter. You have served your purpose well. Garden will fall easily, destroyed from the inside out. You will remember none of this. You will go back to your pathetic friends and remember only that you have been wandering for months, lost and broken child that you are. 

It was fortuitous that I found you lying there, so weak from pain you bent easily to my will. Your position in Garden was fortunate also. Now, you have what I detected you desired, a way home. A pity then, that after you have settled back in you will die along with every other accursed SeeD! You are too young for me boy, I have no need for children. Go, and forget I ever took you."

The man snapped his fingers and Seifer woke up beside Raijin and Fuujin on the plains of Balamb, his head pounding.

"What in Hyne's name? How the hell did we get here?" Seifer grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his throbbing temples.

"UNKNOWN."

"Yeah man, we musta dozed off on our way back here from Deling. I reckon we musta had a bit too much to drink, ya know?" Raijin looked at him earnestly, seeking approval. Seifer grimaced and nodded. 

"Well then. Lets do it." He pointed to Garden and started out, choking back his fears. He'd reform, prove them wrong. He'd be the best damn SeeD there was!


	13. Monster

Disclaimer: Do you want to own ff8? I hear they're selling it for £1 on ebay…I bought it, but it was only the game, not the rights. Damn.

~*Chapter 13*~

A naked youth sat shivering in a corner on the cold, slate floor, hugging his knees up to his chest. Trying to make himself as small as possible. He rocked slowly, dry sobs escaping his chapped and bleeding lips. His brown hair hung limply around his face, frightened eyes not daring to peer from beneath the grease ridden tresses. The eyes were stormy grey, haunted by his fear. Fear of what? He didn't know. He was broken, defeated by this nameless, formless fear. 

From the shaft of dusty light that penetrated his prison he could see no escape. All that furnished the dank, sparse cell was a strange weapon; a gunblade was what the man had called it. The man who promised to be his saviour, his salvation. A television flickered dimly in the hall outside of his cell, images and faces flashing rapidly. No names. No explanation. Only endless repetitions of the same faces, the same battle with the same woman. Screams of her agony as the last crimson lifeblood seeped from her veins reverberated through the vault and a lone tear snaked its way down his face. Why? Why was he here? 

~*~*~

Rinoa padded downstairs gently to find the two most important men in her life sitting at the breakfast table sharing a pot of coffee; it was a shared weakness it would seem. Sunlight streamed into the quiet breakfast room, highlighting the crimson of Squall's blush as her old nanny fussed around him. The kindly white haired crone filled his cup constantly, brushing imaginary specks of dust from his jacket while her father looked on with sadistic amusement. She smiled and cleared her throat, both men turning to face her. Her father smiled and nodded slightly in Squall's direction to highlight his predicament, she raised her eyebrows and returned the smile before resting her eyes on her squirming boyfriend. He was mouthing for help. She pretended to ignore him, closing her eyes and sticking her hands over her ears before bursting into fits of giggles.

"Rosa!" Rinoa cried, deftly manoeuvring the elderly ladies attention away from Squall and onto herself. The woman's eyes lit with joy and unshed tears of happiness sprang to make her orbs glassy.

"My little princess has returned! Praise be to Hyne! Where have you been child? I have missed you so." Rinoa was pulled into a squeeze so tight she could hardly breathe.

"Nana Rosa, I was helping SeeD." She discretely pulled away from the embrace, pecking the withered cheek of Rosa.

"You saved the world? I can't believe you put yourself in that kind of danger! But I am proud of you, I always said you'd achieve great things." The older woman stepped back to look at Rinoa.

"You've grown up." It was a simple statement, but one which everyone in the room could comprehend the enormity of. Rinoa simply nodded and motioned to Squall, who was trying to covertly feed Angelo chunks of the bacon that Rosa had insisted on frying for him. He felt like there was half a damn pig on the plate.

"This is Squall Leonhart, Rosa. He's the commander of SeeD. He saved my life a coupla times and he's…"

"Your boyfriend?" Rosa teased, a smile playing about her lips. She regarded the boy in a new light. He was handsome and honest. He was a good man, perfect for her Rinoa. Unlike that Seifer, she thought with distaste. Rinoa coloured and giggled,

"Yeah, he's my boyfriend. He's also my knight. I'm a sorceress Rosa."

The older woman couldn't disguise her shock, "A sorceress?! Not my Rinoa, not my baby…you're too innocent, too pure. You can't be such a monster!"

"Not all sorceresses are monsters. I'm still the same Rinoa." She explained gently, touching the woman's arm. Rosa recoiled like it was flames licking at her arm, not the tender touch of a woman she had once looked upon as a daughter. She sunk heavily onto a chair, shaken by the news. 

"A sorceress. A sorceress. Why?" She looked at Rinoa in despair. Rinoa looked at her, sadness etched on her face.

"It just…happened. I couldn't help it. The sorceress' died; they had to pass on their powers. I was just the unlucky one I guess." She shrugged.

"More than one?" Rosa was wide eyed with horror.

"Mmm hmm. Edea, Adel and Ultimecia's powers through Edea." She shook her head; she hadn't really understood the implications of this until now. The powers of the three most powerful sorceresses in history concentrated into one being. Her. It was enough to scare the sorceress herself, let alone anyone else.

"Rinoa, I…I just can't see how you can be the same child I nursed! The powers of evil are concentrated within you now. Mark my words, no good will come of this."

Rinoa took the elderly woman's hand and pressed it to her cheek. "But I am the same person! The same blood runs through my veins, I breathe the same air, my feeling's have not changed! I'm me. If you can't see that with your eyes, feel it with your heart."

Rosa closed her eyes smiling slightly, her hand caressing the cheek of her young charge. "She is the same child, she…" Her thoughts were interrupted by a flash of red behind her eyes. An image of her husband's death flashed before her eyes. Another needless death at the hands of the great sorceress Adel. Her eyes flew open. She pointed an accusing finger at Rinoa, seeing not the child she loved standing in front of her, but the sorceress that had deprived her of the love of a husband and a child. Adel still had power to torment her victims from beyond the grave.

"No! You, you killed my husband! Adel, you will pay for your crimes! Monster! Burn in hell and let Hyne strike you down for your crimes against us all."

Rinoa reached for the old woman, confused at her ranting, "It's not Adel, I'm Rinoa. Do you remember me?"

The crone drew back her hand and slapped Rinoa before spitting in her face. Rinoa recoiled nursing her face. 

"Liar. What have you done with her? Where is my Rinoa?" The woman's eyes cleared suddenly and she calmed from her rage. Rinoa whimpered and held Squall's hand. Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Rosa? Are you ok?"

Rosa exhaled shakily, "I'll never again be ok with you here. The power of the sorceress runs in your veins; the power of the one that slew my husband. You are not my child any longer. You are of the race I despise. You are a monster in my eyes."

Caraway had drawn himself to his full height and was advancing dangerously on Rosa; Rinoa had collapsed into the arms of her knight, shaken by this betrayal.

"Now look here Rosa, I will hear no more of this nonsense, my daughter…" He was cut off by a weak whisper from Rinoa,

"Let her go Dad. You don't have to do this and I won't have her uncomfortable because of me."

"Ok. You see? My daughter the monster. The monster that still cares enough for someone she loves to save them after their ultimate betrayal. Get your things Rosa and leave, don't tell anyone of what transpired here today. And don't ever darken my doorstep." Caraway sighed and collapsed heavily on a chair, waving her away with a disdainful flick of his wrist. 

Rinoa looked up tearfully into her lover's eyes, pleading silently. He sighed and drew her closer, "Not everyone is like that Rin. She was old; she still had the stupid misconceptions of a sorceress ingrained into her. She was hurt and she transferred the blame for that hurt onto you. I wish I could've protected you from that."

"It's ok, Squall. I know." She said softly, she pulled away with a kiss on his cheek and turned to her father. No words were needed. He knew of the relationship the two had shared and he knew how bitter a betrayal from Rosa would be. His heart ached for his child. He pulled her into his arms and felt her body shake from silent, choking sobs. 

He smoothed her hair and sighed. "We keep your status on a need to know basis Rinny. Like Squall says, not everyone will react like that, but those who do may try and hurt you, and I can't bear to lose my little girl again."

She nodded into his chest and sniffled. He continued, "I think it's time you went back to Garden. You know you're welcome here anytime, but you need your friends around you to help you deal with this. Besides, won't Kramer be wanting to send his newest SeeD on a mission soon?"

She smiled though the tears, "Yeah, I guess. What d'you think Squall? Will we go back to Balamb now?"

"Sure. I'll gather the others, meet us at the Ragnarok when you're all set?"

"Sounds good, I'll be an hour."

"Oh, I don't know Ms. Heartilly. An hour? My busy schedule might not allow for that kind of delay. I may have to consider leaving you behind." He teased her gently, earning the smile he'd hoped for.

"Meanie!" She stuck out her tongue at him and laughed as he walked out. The smile faded as the door closed behind him and she looked at her hands. 

"I'm no monster!" She whispered fiercely, a hot tear falling onto her outstretched hands. Angelo licked it away and she nuzzled into her, "I'm no monster."

~*~*~

The boy awoke with a start as he was dragged up by his hair till he was nose to nose with the shadowy man. His teeth chattered, both from the cold, damp air and fear. He was pressed roughly to the screen on which the images flickered and then dropped unceremoniously to the ground below. 

The cabalistic figure growled. "Do you know who the woman is?"

The boys eyes widened in dread, "N, No. I, I'm sorry." He was stuttering he knew, but the words still did not come easily for one such as he.

"That is your mother. She is dead." A tear burned its way down the youth's face.

"How did she die?" He whispered.

"See the people? **They killed her**, they were jealous of her. She loved you very much. She wanted to rule the world with you. **They put you here**." The man started to flash the images more slowly in front of the boy, putting names to the faces.

"Zell Dincht, Irvine Kinneas, Quistis Trepe, Selphie Tilmitt, Rinoa Heartilly. They robbed you of your mother. How do you feel?"

"I'm angry. I, I want revenge." Rage burned in his eyes and the man laughed hollowly.

"I can help you achieve your revenge. But you need to do exactly as I say."

The lad nodded dumbly in agreement. A grin spread on the mans face, contorting it horribly.

"Excellent."


	14. Fun

Disclaimer: Did you see that? No? That was my hopes of owning ff8 flying out the window.

~*Chapter 14*~

Fear was unmistakable, tangible in that she could taste it, smell it. Her very being was infused with it, skin tingling and senses heightened, willing her stubborn feet to move, the frightened child that was her voice to surface from hiding. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, the rush of blood deafening her. Squall noticed he had to drag her as they approached the entrance hall of Garden and he stopped. A gloved finger pushed her chin up, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"Rin?" She made no reply. She simply stood there, eyes glazed like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a truck. He took her by the shoulders and shook her gently, managing to shake her from her trance.

"Mmm?"

"S'up?"

The tick resurfaced, the floor beneath her boot becoming dirty as she scuffed her foot on the ground beneath it, head hung in shame. "Nothing."

"Liar." He smiled sympathetically. She looked up to see all her friends around her, willing her to cheer up. Ready to defend her. She brightened, they believed in her, why should anyone else here have a problem with her? Her voice became stronger, the words rang true.

"It's nothing! Let's go! I think I remember Zell promising me a famous Balamb hotdog…" Zell looked to Quistis for approval, she rolled her eyes and nodded slightly, smiling at his enthusiastic, puppy dog eyes.

"YEAH BABY! Come on Rin, I'll race ya, we have to be quick or they'll be none left. Don't get onions, it ruins them and the sauce is great and get at least four if you don't eat them I'll have them and…" The pair ran off, Zell still relaying instructions for the perfect hotdog, Rinoa lagging slightly as she was nearly doubled over at Zell's obsession.

"**I'll** see about our quarters then…" Squall called after the rapidly retreating figure, she turned and waved before hurrying after Zell again. The four who remained looked at each other in silence before bursting into laughter. Irvine wiped away a tear of mirth,

"Did you see the look on his face? I think he's a little too fond of those hotdog's!"

"Ah, leave him be Irvy! What were you like when we finally got you your Exeter? "Oh my Hyne, she's gorgeous! I could make love to you all night baby!"" Selphie chastised him, teasing gently. Irvine had the good grace to look slightly abashed. 

"Well, she is gorgeous. She's only slightly less beautiful than you my love!" Irvine tried to defend himself and failed miserably.

Selphie grinned and started to pull the wayward cowboy away by his lapels, "Come on cowboy! We gotta go see Cid about our rooms and the little matter of arranging a wedding!"

"You're having the wedding here?" Quistis questioned.

"Yeah, well we thought it'd be kind of fitting. Y'know it was this place that brought us together and all our family is from here so…" Irvine tried to explain as best he could, as Selphie butted in, hyper as always.

"Besides, the Quad would be beautiful for the ceremony and the ballroom is just **so cool**! I don't think anywhere else would be big enough to accommodate all the SeeD's and guests we're planning to invite. _Oooh_! I meant to ask, will you and Rinny be my Maids of Honour? Will you ask Rinny, Squall?"

"Yeah, and would you and Zell be my best men? Quistis, you'll ask him if I don't see him right?" Irvine interjected.

"Sure Selphie! But, isn't there only meant to be one Maid of Honour?" Quistis was delighted, but as always her common sense prevailed.

"And one best man?" Squall was also happy to be asked, but concerned.

"Well, yeah but you're all so important, we couldn't separate you!" Selphie explained, a soft smile painted on her lips.

"Well, we'd all be honoured!" Quistis looked to Squall for consent; he nodded and smiled at her.

"Well then it's settled, come on my little cowgirl, we got us a wedding to organise!" Selphie giggled and jumped on for a piggy back, deftly stealing Irvine's cowboy hat at the same time, she waved comically from her position and kicked Irvine lightly,

"Giddy up!" She yelled, several SeeD's staring quizzically at the small, vivacious girl sitting atop the tall cowboy. They headed for the lift to see Cid, and Squall remembered he needed to see Cid too.

"Tell Cid I'm looking for him!" Squall called after the couple, Irvine gave him a thumbs up and continued struggling up the stairs to the lift, collapsing when he got there.

"Jeez Sefie, you put on a coupla pounds?" Selphie grinned and hit him playfully, 

"Nope, you're just weaker! You need to get to the training centre pronto, before I marry a flabby cowboy!" He pouted and she kissed it away.

Quistis and Squall were left looking at one another awkwardly. Squall surprised her by breaking the pregnant silence.

"So…what's happening with you and Zell? Are we going to be hearing wedding bells from your direction too? You seem pretty tight."

She smiled a little and shook her head, "No. We've talked about it, but marriage isn't for us. Ever."

"Ever?"

"Ever. We love each other, that's enough. I don't need a piece of paper to parade to the world. We don't dislike the idea of it; it's just not for Zell or me. Besides, I'm sure you four have that all sown up!"

He raised an eyebrow, "Pretty sure of yourself Ms. Trepe. So, are you going to get quarters together?"

"Nope. I need my space, and his hotdog obsession would dry me nuts! Some day, but not right now. What about you and Rinoa? Oh, did you hear that?" She held a hand to her ear comically, a look of intense concentration on her face.

He sighed in annoyance, he knew where this was leading, "Hear what?"

"I think, it may be…yes! I think I hear wedding bells!" She teased.

"So?" The comment caught her off guard a little and she reeled.

"Really? That's great, have you asked her yet?" Her voice dropped to a conspiring whisper, he shook his head.

"Actually, I was wanting your help with that. I need somewhere to take her, any ideas?"

"Well, you could, oh!" She ducked behind Squall as a platoon of Trepies passed by. In doing so she drew the attention of a familiar figure. He sauntered over, a smirk painted on his face.

"Well, look what we have here! The Instructor and Commander Puberty. I don't think your fans would be too happy to see you sniffing about Squall's ass Instructor." Quistis stood, her face beet red and brushed herself off.

"What the hell are you doing back here, Seifer?" she hissed.

"Well, Squall here was kind enough to let me back in, on the condition I pass the SeeD exam next week. And guess what! You're my Instructor! Just like old times, eh?" He regarded her smugly as the news sunk in.

"Squall, no! I won't teach him again, it's his fault I lost my license in the first place. You're Commander, override the decision." She was pleading, but she was desperate and she didn't care.

"Ah, but he can't. Came straight from the head honcho." Seifer smoothly interjected.

"Sorry Quistis." Squall shrugged then turned to address Seifer; "You will follow her orders though, got that? And Seifer?"

"Yes, oh Commander of Infinite Wisdom?" Sarcasm dripped from his every word.

"Speak to Irvine. You might be more bearable if you knew what happened when we were younger. And my name is Squall." He turned his back on the green-eyed boy, which only served to enrage him.

"Put Squall on the list Raijin." He bellowed.

"I don't think he can be on the list, ya know? Seeing as how he's the Commander and all…"

"RAGE!"

"Ok, ok! I'll put him on the list!" Raijin nursed his ankle as Seifer glowered after the retreating Squall.

"Quistis? I'll catch up with you later about that thing."

"Ok. My lips are sealed!" She shouted after him and turned to face Seifer wearily. He eyed her with a sneer.

"So. Hear you're with Chicken-Wuss. Bet that's fun. Does he swat flies in the bedroom too?"

She responded with a steely glare, "Training centre. Now. Then we head straight to the Fire Cavern. I'm sure Ifrit remembers you fondly, just like I do."

"I'm sure." She sighed. It was evidently going to be a long week.


	15. Happiness

Disclaimer: I don't own final fantasy 8. Or any of its characters. Or places. Or…

~*Chapter 15*~

A bold knock at his door startled the weary headmaster from the onerous task of deciding who was to be put forward for next weeks SeeD exam. He looked up gratefully and cleared his throat.

"Enter." He looked back to the pile of paperwork scattered on his desk before emitting a low sigh, bringing his eyes back up to meet the face of his Commander.

"Squall! How have you been my boy? Well rested, I hope?" Cid's kindly face beamed at Squall and he froze.

"Uh, yeah. Headmaster, sir, I…" Squall stuttered, he was still not quite used to talking to people outside of his group. Cid gave an understanding smile, gesturing for him to go on. He coughed to steady his nerves and carried on. It was going to be…difficult. And embarrassing. 

"Sir, I was wondering if I might have another room." He blurted it out, smiling smugly on the inside, his cool exterior never faltering; _See? Easy. And here I was getting all worked up and…_

"Is the single room no good? I thought you would have liked a bit of privacy now you're a SeeD. Never mind though, there is a vacancy with a junior class man just came up. Is that any good?" Cid was scrambling through his papers trying to find a picture of the student to show Squall. He felt the blush rise from his neck and he pulled at his collar, desperate to get some air on his flushed skin.

"Sir, that wasn't quite what I meant." 

Cid raised an eyebrow, "Go on, I'm not quite sure if I follow."

"I, I mean, we, that is Rinoa and I, we, uh would like to have a room. A room thing. Together. Me and Rinoa. _(Could I be any less articulate? Thanks a bunch, Laguna, it's obviously _you_ I get this from.)_" On cue, Squall felt a twinge in his leg and he groaned, hand flying to forehead.

Cid rose from the desk and stalked over to Squall. He took the young man by the shoulders and sat him down firmly on a chair while he himself perched perilously on the edge of the desk. He exhaled loudly and smiled at the nervous young man before him, trying to put him at ease.

"Well. Can't say I didn't expect this. First Irvine and Selphie, now the two of you! Did you know about them?" He glanced over to Squall who merely nodded.

"That was on the cards too I suppose. Edea was always saying how inseparable they were at the orphanage. I'm to give Selphie away. What an honour! Can't see the need for the rush myself, but they insisted." Cid noticed Squall looking at him quizzically and he stopped to allow the question.

"What rush Sir?" 

"It's Cid, Squall. Four days from now the Garden is going to see its first marriage. Wonderful, isn't it? A new chapter in Garden's history. Anyway, they want the rights to be performed before you all invigilate the SeeD exam next week. A bit rushed, but never mind. Irvine's taking us tomorrow to get the tux's."

"Cid? We're a bit off the subject." Squall interrupted him. Once Cid was started on something, he would keep going until he was interrupted or he fell asleep. Whatever happened first. 

"Ah yes! You and Rinoa. Lovely girl, always liked her. Edea has offered to help her with her sorceress training by the way." Squall shot him a warning look that was intercepted and interpreted swiftly,

"A room! Yes. Well Squall, you know I can't hand out the married couple's dorm rooms at random. I need to know you're committed. I can't have people coming to me one week for a room and handing me back the keys the next day because things have went sour. Are you committed?" A serious tone invaded his voice and the smile was replaced by a blank demeanour.

"Totally. I want to ask her to marry me. Soon. Not right now, but very soon. I just don't know how to do it."

Cid slapped him heartily on the back, the smile returning to its place on his lips as he bellowed for his wife. "Edea! You'll never guess what!" 

The former sorceress entered the room gracefully and smiled warmly at Squall. "You called, my love?" Her eye's rested lovingly on Cid's face and he hugged her fiercely.

"They're dropping like flies today Edea! Here's the third of our children to announce his intentions to wed!" 

Edea's eye's lit up with barely contained joy, "Is this true Squall? You are to wed Rinoa?" He nodded and smiled shyly.

"I am so happy for you. You are well suited; you balance each other out perfectly. You keep her on the ground and she brings you out of that shell you built for yourself. Indeed, this is a happy day Cid, and one to remember. When is this joyous occasion, my child?"

"I haven't asked her yet. It needs to be perfect." She nodded, comprehension in her eyes.

"Of course. Have you told your father?" 

Squall flinched and drew back slightly, Cid laughing at his side. "Of course he has, I told you didn't I?" 

Edea ran a hand lovingly down his arm and smiled at him, "Not you, darling. His blood father." 

Cid quietened and looked expectantly at the two before him. "Who is?"

"Laguna Loire. The President of Esthar." Squall cringed as he said it, instinctively closing his eyes.

Cid nodded slowly, digesting this new information, "Who'd have thought, eh? Suppose there is a resemblance in the face, but that's about it. You knew Edea?"

She laughed, a tinkling sound that was pleasing to the ears of those lucky enough to hear it. "Of course. I know everything!" She teased her husband gently, ruffling his hair. 

She walked over to Squall and kissed his cheek, her lips cool on his burning flesh. "I wish you every happiness. Call your father, he has something for you." She whispered in his ear, making the small hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. 

Squall grinned and it melted her heart. Never had she seen the boy she regarded as one of her own so happy. He was startled by the bunch of keys that came flying towards him, but managed to catch them in one hand. 

Cid laughed, "Still got it I see? That's why you're a SeeD, the best of the best. Now hurry on, you can have that room ready for Rinoa by the time she gets back if you make a start on it now."

Squall stared at the keys for a moment, trying to convey his thanks and failing. Words alone could not express his gratitude. Cid was turning back to his paper work when a strong pair of arms hugged him briefly before leaving with the rest of the body at speed. He chuckled to himself and settled back down, sipping lukewarm tea as he reviewed the entries. "Kids!" He shook his head and got down to business, a small smile still playing about his lips.

~*~*~

A group of unhappy faces glared at Irvine and he held up his hands in surrender. 

"Hey, hey! Guys, I can't help it if they itch. Mine itches too!" He said defensively. Cramped into the wedding outfitters in Dollet sat Squall, Zell, Irvine, Seifer, Nida, Raijin, Cid, Laguna, Kiros and Ward. Not one had smiled since they had entered the stuffy shop. 

The ancient assistant came over to Irvine and enquired for the sixth time that morning, "And who's the lucky man?" 

Irvine sighed and pasted on his award-winning smile. "I am." He grinned through gritted teeth at the stooped old man.

"And how does Sir find this range?" The man fussed around fixing handkerchiefs in pockets and carnations in buttonholes.

"No good. It's too itchy. Have you got something that's less…itchy?" Irvine enquired feebly.

"Well, our best range is made of the highest quality silk from specially imported Caterchipillars, so that shouldn't be…"

"What are ya waiting for? Let us try it on!" Zell bellowed, anxious to get out of the sweaty fabric. Cid shot him a warning look and he called to the assistant, "Please?"

Seifer stripped to his boxers and sat savouring the cool air on his irritated skin whilst the other looked on in horror. 

Irvine cleared his throat nervously, "Uh, Seif? Whacha doin'?"

"I will not sit here sweating like a pig and clawing at myself like I got lice for no reason. This is your fault anyway, cowboy. If you and your little messenger girl could just keep your enthusiasm on hold we wouldn't have to be in this dump on a sunny Saturday afternoon. We could be having a beer." 

The older men amongst the group visibly glazed over as they imagined a nice, cool pub, a day at the beach with a pint in one hand and a book in the other. They snapped out of their daydream when the assistant came back with an armful of tuxes. He opened his mouth to say something to Seifer and quickly closed it again when he anticipated the comment and snarled. He handed the tuxes to Irvine and backed away quickly. 

The groom quickly tried his on and declared with a smile, "Boy's? I think we have ourselves a winner!"

~*~*~

Over in Deling City a similar scene was being played out. Selphie bounded around the room pointing out hundreds of dresses to a harassed shopkeeper as a bemused Rinoa, Quistis, Edea, Fuujin and Xu looked on. Their dresses had long since been decided upon, a long lemon yellow gown spun from silk with two tiny straps. Selphie was now the problem and was fast gaining a reputation as the fussiest bride-to-be in history. Edea placed a calming hand on Selphie's shoulder and she stopped her movement. The only indication of her nervous energy was a slight jiggle of her foot.

"Selphie dear? Why don't you try this one? It look's about your size…" Edea pointed out a very simple gown, plain white silk with a tie immediately under the bust. The tie made the material over the bust the only tight part of the dress. From the tie downward the dress flowed like water, skimming her curves and covering her feet. Two slithers of antique lace, yellowed with age held the dress in place. The tie was also made of the same lace and the effect was stunning. A veil was found to match and dainty shoes added to the ensemble. As Selphie exited the changing room, an audible gasp filled the room. 

She grinned, "Is this the one then?" 

Everyone nodded dumbly. 

"affirmative." Fuujin whispered, "affirmative." 


	16. I promise

Disclaimer: I don't own final fantasy 8, hence why this is fan fiction.

~*Chapter 16*~

"Selphie? Calm down!" 

Selphie looked up from the brown paper bag she was currently hyperventilating into and choked out, "Can't. Go wrong. Bad feeling! Trip. Laugh." 

She gasped for air and Edea smoothed her hair, a comfort she had provided to all her children. "Selphie. Everything will be wonderful. You look stunning. The man you love is waiting for you; he wants to marry you. All your friends and family are here to share your joy on this special day. We all love you and it will go perfectly." 

Her calm voice soothed the panicking girl and she crumpled the bag in her small fist. "Really?"

"I promise."

Selphie grinned and stood up, defiantly crushing the paper bag underfoot. The bridesmaids exchanged relieved smiles and looked at the blushing bride. She was beauty itself in her gown, insisting that her hair and make up be left untouched. 

Her proclamation earlier that morning had been, "Irvy fell in love with me the way I am. If I turn up with a face of war paint and my hair scraped back he'll run a mile!"

Rinoa hugged her friend, tears glistening in her eyes. "This is it Sefie. You ready?"

Cid entered at that moment, and inhaled sharply at the sight of his "daughter". "Selphie, you look beautiful my dear. Irvine's a very lucky man. Are you ready to go? The quad's packed with all your friends and Irvine's there too, waiting for your grand entrance."

Selphie nodded, for the first time in her life she looked peaceful, serene. This was right. She was sure. This is it. "Well, it's been nice knowing you guy's but Selphie Tilmitt will soon be no more. Make way for Selphie Kinneas! New and improved Selphie!" She done a little twirl on the spot followed by one of her patented "happy dances". 

The other women laughed and Quistis fixed a yellow flower in Selphie's hair. "What's this for Quisty?" 

She loved it, but she was confused. Quistis had always been of the "flowers in your hair only attract bite bugs, and where the good in that?" school of thought.

"Well, you need something new, so a flower fits that criteria; and it makes you look pretty." Selphie squeezed the air from Quistis as she spoke and gave a little squeal of delight.

Next, Rinoa presented her with a blue piece of lace. Selphie looked at her quizzically; she just giggled and explained. "It's your "something blue"! It's a garter; every bride has to have one so the bridegroom can rip it off with his teeth at the reception. Make's for great photographs!" 

She helped Selphie slip it on as Cid turned away, a faint blush colouring his cheeks. Again, Selphie nearly killed Rinoa with her version of thanks. Xu and Fujin approached Selphie cautiously and offered her a small box. Inside were a set of keys and a small note stating, "We need these back!"

"What are these for?" 

Fujin and Xu grinned at each other and nodded before turning to Selphie. "They're for the Garden's convertible. It's "something borrowed". We can't have you driving off to your honeymoon in Irvine's old banger!" 

Selphie jumped up and down, punching the air. "Woo hoo! You guys are the best!"

"Remember Selphie, Irvine drives, not you. We all know what happened the last time, don't we?" Xu warned. Selphie just grinned and fiddled with the keys, worrying Xu a little.

Finally, Edea pulled Selphie in a warm embrace and kissed her forehead. From around her neck she produced a dainty golden chain, on which hung a small antique pearl. She fastened it around the girl's neck and smiled.

"Matron, I can't take this! It's too much, what if I lose it?" She protested.

"It is yours to lose. It is your "something old". This was amongst your things when you came to me at the orphanage. I decided then that it would be given to you on your wedding day as per your mother's instructions. I have with me the letter she had written to be given to you on this day with me. You may read it after the ceremony my child."

Selphie just smiled, tears threatening to spill over. Edea wiped them away with a deft finger. "No tears darling. This is a happy day, engrave this day onto your senses so it may remain with you forever."

"I love you matron." She whispered.

"As I love you child. Now go. There is another who loves you, and he is waiting patiently for your arrival." Selphie nodded and took the arm proffered by Cid. A deep breath and the door's were flung open, daylight flooding the previously murky room. She stepped out of the gloom, out of her childhood, and into the sun.

~*~*~

"Is she there yet? She picks this one day to be late, women!" Irvine fretted, hand nervously tapping his leg. Squall caught the hand and laid it gently against Irvine's side.

"Stop it. You're making me nervous and it's not even my wedding." Irvine grinned sheepishly and glanced at Zell, who had a glazed over look on his face.

"Zell?" Zell shook his head, clearing away whatever daydream he had been indulging in. 

"She here?" He glanced wildly around and being satisfied Selphie was not yet arrived, went back to the same dazed appearance.

"Zell, what are you doing?" Irvine was desperate, the nerves could only be contained so long and he needed conversation to keep his mind off things. 

"Well, you said there would be hotdog's at the reception, right? I was just thinking…" 

Irvine threw up his hands in defeat, "Do you ever think about anything **except** hotdog's? Seriously man, it's a scary obsession. You should go see Doc Kadowaki about that." 

Zell grinned, "I'll bear that in mind."

Another five minutes passed and even Squall was beginning to feel anxious. She was thirty minutes late. Surely this was not a good sign. 

Irvine turned to him, eyes wide. "You don't think she's bailing, do you?" 

Squall swept aside his own thoughts and pasted on a smile. "Course not. Just wait it out. Women are always late, especially at their own weddings. It's their thing I guess."

Irvine calmed slightly and glanced back. He did a double take when he saw yellow and black figures approaching. "It's them! Thank Hyne!"

Squall looked up at the sky and thanked his lucky stars, turning around also to watch his friend's approach.

Leading the wedding procession was Edea on the arm of Seifer, he looked dashing and was actually behaving. _Weird._

Next came Rinoa on Laguna's arm. Irvine couldn't believe his eyes. From a distance, he would swear Laguna was Squall. The two looked happy in each others company and Squall could see what he and Rinoa looked like to the casual observer. _Hyne, I'm a lucky man._

Fujin and Raijin followed up and everyone was surprised to see a smile on Fujin's face. It was rare and unexpected, and she looked quite beautiful minus the permanent scowl. She hadn't even kicked Raijin once today, a miracle in itself.

Xu and Kiros followed closely, looking very cosy and seeming to share a private joke, 

Zell nudged Irvine, "You don't reckon they're…"

Irvine elbowed him, "Shhh! She's coming! And no!"

Ward and Nida barred the entrance to the ceremony, looking dapper yet intimidating. No one would dare even think about gate crashing while the man mountain was guarding the door.

Finally came the bride. Irvine had half expected her to run down the aisle dragging Cid behind her, yet here she was walking calmly toward him with the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen. He was aware his mouth was hanging open, and he looked around to see that the same could be said for the majority of the guests. He closed his mouth and grinned at his approaching bride. 

"This is it Selphie. All the best, my dear. Irvine, take care of my daughter." Cid had a tear in his eye as he let Selphie go to her bridegroom.

"I will, I promise."

The ceremony went off without a hitch, Selphie and Irvine had written their own vows and made a few of their guests shed tears openly. Like Rinoa had predicted, once Irvine knew Selphie had a garter on, the first thing he did was to rip it off with his teeth. The scene was ingrained forever on many peoples memories, and even more peoples cameras and camcorders. Selphie was in a fit of hysterical laughter while Irvine grinned madly with the blue lace in his bared teeth. 

The reception was one of the best parties ever seen at Garden. Yellow and royal blue decorations adorned the ballroom and hotdog's and alcohol were available in copious amounts. No one could get enough of the newlyweds. Irvine and Selphie both had the idea to shove huge pieces of wedding cake in each others face and the aftermath was hilarious, as Zell put it "Another Irvine and Sefie golden Kodak moment."

Zell nearly choked to death on the three hotdog's he was trying to swallow whole saved only by Quistis and her speedy intervention. Xu and Kiros surprised everyone by kissing openly, yet drunkenly on the dance floor.

"I thought you said there was no way those two could be together?" Zell slurred to Irvine, the combination of alcohol and hotdog's not doing much for his ability to speak.

"Well, guess I was wrong. First time for everything! Mrs Kinneas? Wanna go home?" He winked at his wife and she grinned wickedly.

"Of course! Enjoy the party guys!" With that, she jumped on Irvine's back with a whoop and they set off to their room.

Squall shook his head. "I can't believe she just done that." 

Rinoa smiled and waved at the retreating figures, "Why not? You weren't expecting her to give up her favourite mode of transportation now she's a married women were you?"

"I guess not. What do you say we head back? The party's pretty much over. Besides, I have a surprise for you." 

She raised an eyebrow and looked at him suspiciously. "Hmmm. Mr. Leonhart thinking up a surprise. This will be interesting. Ok, let me go to my dorm, I need to get a wrap."

He smiled mysteriously, "Whatever."

He put an arm around her shoulder and walked her to her room, barely suppressing his laughter as she got frustrated when her key wouldn't open the door.

"I've only had two glasses of wine. I cannot be that drunk! Squall, you try!" She stamped her foot and pouted.

"Just leave it Rin. Put this on." He handed her his tux jacket and tied a black piece of satin over her eyes.

"What are you doing?" She giggled. He took her hand and led her silently through the halls of the Garden. The scrape of a key opening a lock and she was lead into a room. Squalls voice whispered in her ear, making her skin tingle.

"Keep your eyes closed."


	17. Kiss joy as it flies

Disclaimer: I got an Auron statue today. It's mine, all mine I tell thee! But ff8 is not.

~*Chapter 17*~

Selphie lay on the bed, a film of sweat covering her naked body. Irvine was away getting some ice and she smiled at the ring on her finger. "Mrs Selphie Kinneas. Hmmm. Sounds good." A timid knock at the door disturbed her thoughts and she threw on a robe. 

She called through the door, "Irvy?"

A woman's soft voice replied, somewhat muffled by the heavy metal door. "Selphie dear? It's me." 

Selphie squeaked and made herself decent before opening the door to face Edea.

"All is well then I see?" Edea teased, Selphie blushed and held the robe to her body tighter.

"Hi Matron. I'm sorry it's not so tidy, but…"

Edea waved off her apologies, "No need child. It's a flying visit only. I have a letter that must be delivered to you before this night is over." She kissed the girl on the cheek and discretely placed a folded letter in Selphie's hand before leaving silently.

She sat heavily on the bed and turned the letter over. A faint perfume radiated from the envelope and finally she couldn't wait any longer. She opened the letter carefully and studied the handwriting. A lazy, sloping looped script covered the page, much like her own and she gasped. She began to read, tears filling her eyes.

__

My darling child,

How I wish I could be there with you on this the most special of days. Life is not fair and I rail against the fates daily for cursing me to never be there to see you grow into the fine young woman I know you are. Selphie, the one thing you must know and keep in your heart always is that you were loved. You were our ray of sunshine in our darkest days. 

I look at you now sleeping in your crib and my heart aches to know that these are my last few precious hours with you. This is not through choice. Your father, a great and noble man by the name of Jaren Tilmitt was killed during the Sorceress wars; the hand of Adel struck him down herself. He was so proud of you. The last thing he said was to make sure that you didn't forget your daddy, because he was going to bring you home the best toy he could find. He loved you so. 

I will leave you in the care of Edea and Cid Kramer. They seem like good people and I've heard nothing but good reports about them. The children there are about your age. I hope you were happy there. Oh! I never told you about myself. Obviously, I'm your mother. You're just starting to talk; you're such a fast learner! You call me "Marmy" with that sunny smile. Never lose your sunny disposition Selphie. It draws people to you, that and your beauty and intelligence.

My name is Alexia Tilmitt, formerly Jepson. I met your father when we were both 17 in Galbadia's army. We fell in love and…well, the rest is history, and you were the result. I'm not with you now, not because I don't love you or didn't want you. I'm not there because I'm dead. It hurts to write this. I only have a few hours left; the disease has overtaken my body. It is not hereditary my darling so worry not. The army infected me; I'm just another experiment to them now. It matter's not that I have a child, a family I love. I pray you were not affected in the womb, but you seem well. 

I asked a favour of Edea when I made the arrangements to enrol you at the orphanage. I asked her to give you this letter as well as my own mother's pendant, a gift to me on my own wedding day to let you know of your lineage on yours. It seemed fitting. I know that the man that you have entrusted with your heart will be a man of honour, faithful and true. A man who will believe the sun rises and sets with you. A man who loves you more than life. Whoever he is, as long as you love him and he loves you, you have your parents blessing. We are proud to have him as our son. 

Edea has arrived and so I must finish this, my end draws closer still. I have another present for you when your first born has arrived into the light. Edea will convey this also. Take your time, enjoy life. Kiss joy as it flies. Life is fleeting; we are but a brief moment in time, a speck on the fabric of existence. Make the most of this time you have, fill it with love and friends. Heed my words my darling, I will be watching over you.

I will always be your mother.

My love always,

Marmy

Selphie pressed the letter close to her chest and sobbed silently. Composing herself, she filed the letter away in her keepsake box. The door opened and Irvine strolled in, pecking her forehead before noticing her red rimmed eyes.

"Sefie? Baby? What's wrong? I thought you were happy. You're not regretting this, are you?"

She giggled in spite of her tears and kissed his lips, salt mingling with his sweet taste. "Of course not! I'm not sad, I'm…happy. Matron brought me a letter my birth mother had written for me right before her death. I feel at peace now. It's nice."

He held her silently and kissed her. He understood.

~*~*~

The scene of the wedding reception played on a loop and the boy sat glued to it, looking at the smiling faces and hating every one of them with a burning passion. The black clad man walked into the small room the boy had progressed to from the cell for good behaviour. 

He gestured to the screen. "You see that? They are celebrating your mother's death. They are rejoicing in your incarceration."

"I want to kill them all." The boy spoke with ice in his words.

"You can and you will. But you must first infiltrate them. They will recognise you as another and you must carry on that pretence perpetrated by them. But you must keep their friendship, lure them into a false sense of security. This one especially." 

He gestured to a picture of a young woman smiling in a yellow gown. "You must pretend to love her. Once they are comfortable…crush them. Show no mercy." 

The boy nodded, "It will be hard." He faltered. 

The man struck him across the face, sending him sprawling across the room, hitting his head hard against the wall. "Insolent boy! You dare to question my plans? My intelligence?" He screamed at the boy, making him cower and hide his head.

"No master! I meant, it will be hard for me to hide my hatred, but I will do it for you, my father." 

The man quietened, placated by the boy's words. "Very well. Prepare yourself, my son. The time for revenge draws near."

~*~*~

"Can I open them yet?" She giggled pulling at the blindfold. 

He growled lightly and relented. "Ok. Open them." 

She removed the blindfold to find herself in a large, airy room. The only source of light was tiny candles dotted around the room, sending shafts of iridescent floating up toward the ceiling. Plain, white cotton curtains stirred in the faint breeze blowing in from the balcony that overlooked the stars reflected in the cool waters of the ocean. A comfy looking cream couch blended in with the neutral walls, giving the room a homey feel. 

Off to the left, a door lead to a bedroom containing a king-size bed covered with crisp linen and beech furniture. Her trinkets adorned various surfaces and make-ups and perfumes littered the dressing table. The final room was a small bathroom, decorated like the rest of the flat in warm cream and wooden floors. A powerful shower dominated the room and a glass shelf above the sink had more of the tiny candles. The whole flat was bathed in the soft light, meaning the last thing she noticed were the white petals crunching underfoot. She let out a squeal of delight and hugged Squall.

"Is this what I think it is?" Rinoa squeaked.

"Well, there's a set of keys for you and one for me, so…" He pretended to mull it over, and she gasped.

"You meany! Hyne, our own flat! You and me! You have no idea how much I love you!" She wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled her head into his chest. 

He kissed the top of her head and returned the embrace. "I love you too. Bedtime? We've got a long day tomorrow, I'm taking you out for the day before we get caught up in preparing to chaperone the SeeD exam."

"Where?" She looked at him, her head cocked to one side.

"It's a secret, a surprise." 

She pouted and walked over to the bed, grumbling. "You're just full of surprises now aren't you?" 

He blew out the candle at the side of the bed so she could not see the smirk on his face. "Well, you won't be expecting this one!" He thought, as he drifted off to sleep with Rinoa wrapped in his arms.

A/N: The title of this chapter, "Kiss joy as it flies" is from a William Blake poem. 


	18. Never forget

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 8. Or a banana.

~*Chapter 18*~

Sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains, welcoming Squall back to consciousness with a slight warmth on his cheeks. He glanced at the clock and groaned softly. Six thirty; he was meeting Laguna in ten minutes and he was still entwined in his lovers arms. He carefully removed Rinoa's arms from his torso and replaced his body with that of Angelo. The dog settled happily, nuzzling into her mistress and smiling up at Squall. He shook his head and wondered how he could think a dog could smile. He pointed an accusing finger at Rinoa, mouthing "You!" at her prone frame silently. He dressed quickly and made his way to the cafeteria where he found Laguna sharing a cup of coffee with a hung over Kiros whilst teasing him mercilessly. 

"Heh heh! Hey kiddo, did you **see **this guy last night? And he says **I'm** the embarrassment!"

Squall's mouth curved at the corners slightly, "Couldn't really miss him, could I? Not while he's molesting one of my best Instructors…"

Kiros groaned and drank deeply from his cup of coffee. "Not you too. Show some respect for your elders Squall."

This time the grin broke through, "I think Xu showed you enough respect for the whole Garden last night." 

Laguna stared at his son open mouthed for a second before bursting into uncontrolled laughter. Kiros looked stunned before getting up hastily and muttering about going to find Ward so he could get "Some damn peace."

"You have got to teach me how to do that!" Laguna hooted, "I have never seen Kiros speechless before, that was priceless!"

Squall's usual cool mask was back in place and he simply nodded, "Someday. Where was Elle last night? I thought Selphie had asked her to be a bridesmaid?"

Laguna pulled at his tux collar; he hadn't been to bed that night. The dark circles told their own story. "It was the anniversary of her parents death yesterday. She wanted to be back in Winhill with them, she likes to be alone on that day. Not even I see her. She gets pretty upset."

"You went up there?"

"No. She called, crying. Not a damn thing I could do except listen. I wanted to go get her, but she insisted she stay alone. It's her pilgrimage I guess."

"That's deep coming from you." Squall mused.

"I'm not quite as stupid as you think. Nearly, but not quite." Laguna smiled wryly and Squall blushed. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Laguna nodded and Squall changed the subject hastily, "Matron said I had to see you."

"Yeah. I get the impression that you're planning something big for Rinoa."

"Uh huh. I asked her father for her hand."

"When are you gonna pop the question?" Laguna leaned forward eagerly like a child impatient to learn.

"Today. I'm heading into Deling first to try and find a ring but…" He hung his head and looked deflated somewhat.

"But what?"

"I don't know what to look for. What if she hates what I get?" 

Laguna leaned back in his chair and smirked. Squall scowled at him. "What are you looking so damn happy about? You like to see me struggling?" 

Laguna held up his hands in mock surrender and laughed. "No Squall! I can help you. The thing I have to give you…I think you'll like it."

Squall narrowed his eyes and looked at him with suspicion. "What is it?"

He didn't reply. He reached into his inner tux pocket and pulled out a small velvet pouch, handing it to the young man with a smile.

Squall tugged at the ties keeping the pouch closed and tipped a cool metallic object into his palm. Cupped in his hand lay a small platinum band, inlaid with a perfect square cut diamond. Engraved inside the ring were the words, _Never Forget_. He raised a questioning eyebrow at Laguna who went on to explain.

"It was your moms. It was the ring I gave her the night I proposed. When I left to go get Elle she gave me it back. She couldn't wear it then, her fingers were all swollen, but she gave me it so I'd have a piece of her with me."

Squall was turning the ring over in his hands, "The inscription?" He breathed.

"I wanted her to never forget how much I loved her. I wanted her to never forget **me**." Laguna grinned at the memory of the night he proposed. It had been perfect, but then all the males in his family had been perfectionists.

"Why are you showing me this?" 

"I want you to give it to Rinoa. Only if you want to though! If you'd rather find your own I understand." He had hastily corrected his mistake and thanked Hyne.

"It's perfect, I'd be honoured. But, are you sure you want to part with this?" Squall was momentarily worried he'd want it back. Rinoa would love it and he could never find something as perfect as this if he searched the world for eternity.

"I'm sure. I keep my memories up here, not in a trinket." Laguna tapped the side of his head and chuckled. He got up to leave and Squall stood as well. He tried to keep the shock from his face.

"Let me know how it goes Squall, I need to head back to Esthar." Squall nodded and watched his father walk away. He hesitated before calling after the retreating figure.

"Laguna!" He spun round to see Squall running to catch him. 

"Yeah?" 

Squall held out his hand for his father to shake and held his gaze. Gripping his son's hand tightly, he pumped the limb and was surprised to hear the young man utter the words,

"Thanks…Dad." Squall walked off to prepare the next phase of his plan leaving a bemused Laguna in his wake.

Kiros stalked up behind him and startled him, "That was…unexpected." Laguna nodded vigorously.

"Unpredictable. Like his mother." He turned to face Kiros and was surprised to find a red faced Xu hiding behind his friend. He looked pointedly at Kiros.

"Xu's coming for a vacation to Esthar." He stated defiantly. Laguna nodded, his eyes sparkling in amusement.

"No probs. Remember though Kiros, separate rooms!" He ran off laughing to tell Ward, leaving the two lovebirds in awkward silence. 

Kiros cleared his throat nervously, "So…"

Xu smiled weakly, "So…"

"What's good to eat round here?"

She thought for a moment, "Hotdog's?" He looked at her in horror.

"At seven am?" He exclaimed.

"Well, yeah…"

He sighed and a grin tugged at the edges of his mouth, "Sounds…great."

~*~*~

"Come **on** Rin! The car's got to be back for ten, we can't be late!" 

Rinoa stuck out her tongue at his back, hopping on one foot trying to pull her other shoe on. "Yeah, yeah. Keep your shirt on, I'm nearly ready!"

He looked at her in exasperation, "You said that ten minutes ago!" 

She smiled sweetly and he threw his hands in the air in defeat. "I give up! Heartilly, you may easily be the most infuriating person in the world." 

She planted a soft kiss on his lips and snaked her arms around his waist. "Ah, but you still love me!" 

A growl surfaced from the back of his throat and he nuzzled her neck. "Ready?"

She dusted down her blue slip dress and smirked at his impatience. "Well, I dunno…do I look fat in this?" 

He looked at her incredulously for a moment before picking her up and swinging her over his shoulder, her tiny fists pummelling at his muscular back.

"Is that a "no" then?" 

He shook his head in amusement and dropped her unceremoniously in the seat of the convertible he'd hired for the day. She grinned as he entered the car and turned the keys in the ignition, surprising him with a peck on the cheek. He rubbed his cheek thoughtfully, wishing he'd had time to shave that morning.

"What was that for?" He paused at the junction before roaring off in the direction of Balamb beach.

"Because you're you. I thought we were going into town?" She watched as they whizzed by what she thought was to be their exit and looked at him in confusion.

"Change of plan, we're going to the beach." He looked over at her momentarily and his breath caught in his throat. She looked gorgeous, her hair flying freely in the wind, dancing around her shoulders. She was barefaced, clear of any traces of make up, save a light cherry lip-gloss. She looked free.

"But I'm starving!" She pretended to sulk, crossing her arms like a spoiled child. He gestured to the seat behind her. A wicker picnic basket sat there tantalisingly, beckoning her to open it. She looked at Squall; a small amount of residual shock still registered on her petite features.

"**You** made a picnic?" He had the good grace to look slightly abashed. 

"I bought it in Balamb. Hope you don't mind." She responded by snuggling under his arm, causing him to swerve.

"Sorry, I'll behave. Promise!" She shot him an endearing look and he couldn't help smiling, the rare smile that was reserved for her moments of madness. The moments that reminded him of exactly why he was so in love with her. He indicated to turn off for the beach and tried to steady his nerves. He steeled himself as he brought the car to a halt on the cliff top. 

"This is it." He whispered.


	19. Training

Disclaimer: the great gods of Squaresoft own Final Fantasy. Not me.

~*Chapter 19*~

Seifer grunted, salt sweat running into his eyes, temporarily blinding him. His opponent seized the opportunity presented and a crack of whip on flesh resounded around the hilltop. He gasped as the whip bit through the soft flesh leaving a stinging wound, staggering as he tried to level the gunblade back into a fighting stance. His rival smirked and moved in for the kill. A flick of the wrist and the whip was entwined around his left ankle, a small tug and he was on his back with the antagonist offering her hand to help him up. He sighed and batted away the proffered hand, instead letting the gunblade take the brunt of his weight.

"Not quite as cocky as you once were Mr. Almasy." 

He scowled at her through lowered brows. "Not quite as weak as **you **once were Instructor." 

Quistis smiled at her pupil's jibe and walked over to face him. "I think you're ready for the Fire Cavern. How do you feel yourself?" 

The arrogance returned and he sneered at her. "I can take on anything that damn GF can throw at me! You'll be able to stand back and enjoy the show." 

She placed a finger on her chin thoughtfully, pursing her lips. An evil grin appeared replacing her quiet contemplation. "Well, if you feel Ifrit is below you, why don't we make this challenge a little more…suitable for someone of your skill." 

He looked at her suspiciously. "What do you mean?" 

She allowed a fleeting smile to pass her lips before regaining her composure, "Well, why don't we see how you fare against the King of Dragons himself? Would he be an opponent worthy of your time?" 

The youth gulped but showed no outward signs of fear, "Bring it on." She nodded her head in satisfaction and contacted Garden to let them know of the change in plans.

~*~*~

Muscles rippled below the surface of the boys skin, a quiet strength radiating from his body. His master beckoned him forward and he let loose a warrior's cry, dashing with his gunblade raised to end the spar. The man laughed at the pitiful efforts of his pupil, a noise that sent shivers down the boy's spine. It was as if a thousand trapped voices were screaming for release. A wave of pure energy hit the boy, throwing him to the ground and winding him. The man never hesitated for a second as he brought his blade down between the boy's eyes, leaving in its wake a ragged, bloody wound.

He nodded, satisfied at the day's events. "It will scar. Perfect. All goes as planned. The boy squinted through the veil of blood, reeling from the pain. 

"Why have you done this to me, my master?" He pleaded with the man only to receive a warning look.

"Do not question my motives. All is done for the greater purpose; you should know it gives me no pleasure to hurt my blood." He smirked inwardly at the lie. 

Handing the boy a videotape he continued, "Study this man. This is who you will be. Study his movements, his technique. Know him inside out, the pretence must be wholly believable. The time draws dangerously close, my son. You must become this man in order to destroy the accursed SeeD."

"What is the name of the one I am to become?"

"Your name is to be…it is of no consequence at the moment. You will be told all at the appropriate time. That time is not yet upon us. Take these, clean yourself up and make yourself identical in every respect to the one I have told you of." He threw the boy some clothes and made to leave. 

The boy called after the retreating figure, "Father? What is **my **name?" 

The black figure stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the light. Facing away from the boy, he smirked at the cruelty of his words. "You have no name. You are not deserving of one." He left the boy, broken, looking at the video in his hands. 

He wiped away a tear and held the tape fiercely. "I will become the best. I will become deserving! I'll make him proud…"

~*~*~

"Get **up** Seifer! You can't just lie there, he's going to use Ultima!" 

Seifer grimaced and looked across at Quistis. She was unscathed, not a hair out of place. She looked as if she was enjoying the thrill of the fight, the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"Frickin' moron." He muttered. He hauled himself to his feet and forced himself to use Scan.

He spoke under his breath, calculating the figures rapidly. "He's weakening, slowly but surely he's weakening. That gap in his defence…if I get in there with a quick hit, let Quistis…yeah. One more hit on that wound on his left flank and he'll be out for the count. Almasy, you're a fucking genius."

He was down to his last ounce of strength as he yelled to Quistis, "Instructor, heal me. Let me rush him first off, then you take the next move!" 

She nodded her understanding and he felt a cool wind surround him as the Curaga took effect on his battle weary body. He slashed at Bahamut, squeezing the trigger to double the impact. 

On cue, Quistis cut a wound through the Dragons flesh that would have felled a lesser antagonist. Seifer hollered triumphantly as his last move hit home and the King of Dragons lay at his feet. The dragon opened one eye lazily at the boastful youth. Quistis hung back, looking over the black mass to ensure the GF was not seriously injured. The GF winked at her and she giggled a little with nervous relief.

"YOU HAVE BECOME STRONGER, BOY, YET STILL NOT WORTHY OF MY POWER."

Seifer's nostrils flared in anger and he pointed the gunblade at the prone Guardian. "I defeated you in battle! It took three of them when they found you, I did it myself. You lent your power to them, why not me? I am obviously more deserving if I can defeat the King of Dragons with minimal assistance! Unlike some." 

He shot an accusing glare at Quistis who was enjoying Bahamut's show; she simply shrugged at him and grinned.

"HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE SAYING, "WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILTY"? THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE ENOUGH TO USE THE POWER GRANTED TO THEM FOR THE GREATER GOOD. YOU ARE NOT YET THAT RESPONSIBLE; THEREFORE, YOU ARE NOT YET WORTHY. WHEN YOU PROVE YOUR WORTHINESS TO US, WE WILL AID YOU."

The dragon disappeared leaving a bewildered Seifer behind. He looked stunned for a moment before regaining the use of his faculties. 

He looked up at the sky and screamed. "What a crock of shit!" 

Quistis laughed at the outraged Seifer, which only fuelled his fire.

"Did you put him up to this? If you did, I swear to Hyne, I'll…" He rounded on her, she simply let the amusement dance in her eyes.

"You'll what? Exactly. Don't make empty threats little boy, there's no need. I didn't put Bahamut up to anything; the GF's are quite capable of making up their own minds. You hurt them; you killed one of their brethren. Did you really expect them just to forgive and forget? You have to prove yourself worthy again in their eyes."

He stopped his ranting and thought for a second. "I never realised."

"Well you wouldn't would you? You're always too damn busy trying to pick a fight, trying to blame your mistakes on others." She shot back at him.

He regained his cool demeanour and looked down his nose at her; "Did I pass?"

She rolled her eyes, "Yes. You can take the field test tomorrow. Last chance then, you nervous?"

He smirked, "What do I have to be nervous about my dear Instructor? I was trained by the best." He sauntered off, leaving a bemused Quistis to ponder his words. Sarcastic or no, she took the words as a compliment. 

"Talk to Irvine, Seifer! I think you'll want to hear what he has to say!" She called after him, but to no avail. She set about clearing up the mess the battle had created when a voice popped into her mind.

"still stubborn i see? what can you do with a boy like that?"

She laughed softly at the not unwelcome intrusion; "You're a lot quieter in there anyway! You're right though Bahamut, he's just as stubborn as when he left us. Maybe even more so. It is…a good thing, I think. It's that alone which has stopped him from breaking, even after all he's been through."

"you do not despise him then?" 

She shook her head sadly, "No. I feel sorry for him; none of it was his fault. He was brainwashed, caught up in circumstance's outwith his control and yet no one attempts to understand that. No one wants to forgive, they need a scapegoat and it's just unfortunate that Seifer fits the role so well. He was there, he did terrible things and he was the Sorceress' right hand man. They don't want to hear he didn't know what he was doing; they just want to blame him." 

She could feel the GF's silent agreement, "You said he must prove himself worthy, what must he do?" 

Bahamut laughed, a low, grumbling noise, "all will be revealed soon. do not worry yourself child, he will be redeemed." She felt the presence fade from her mind and she was left alone, puzzling over the words he had left in his wake.


	20. You

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Final Fantasy series. I only own the games.

~*Chapter 20*~

The wind swept around her and she savoured the salty breeze as it kissed her skin. The waves crashed against the shore, the only other sound that could be heard was the even breaths of the man beside her and her own heartbeat as the blood pounded relentlessly through her veins. Squall moved silently to the car and pulled out a woollen blanket to spread on the flowered cliff top. He spread the blanket and placed the wicker basket on the ground, dropping heavily to the ground with a slight thud. He was silent, not uncharacteristically so, for he had never been much of a conversationalist, but he seemed to have retreated back into the near impenetrable shell he had created for himself. The shell she had had some success in breaking down in recent months. His head was cradled in his hands and he looked through the cracks in his fingers at the ocean.

She knew it calmed him, the rise and fall of the tide. It seemed to hark back to his days at the orphanage, the once place he had felt safe. She sat down beside him, close to him but not so close as to deny him the space he so obviously desired at this time. Rinoa watched as the sun began its descent into the ocean, turning the sky rose coloured pinks and hue's of orange. Petals from the flowers scattered on the cliff top danced on the breeze and she caught one, giggling softly with girlish delight before letting it continue its jig.

She noticed with a start he was staring intently at her and she mock frowned at him and studied his form. Instead of the usual drab garb, some colour adorned his muscular frame. He still wore the same black jeans and boots, but all the belts, bar one around the waistband, were gone. Dark silk hung from his torso, moving between black and midnight blue with the rise and fall of his chest. He had no jacket, only his Griever necklace hung around his neck. He stuck out his tongue, surprising her and she laughed easily with him, moving into the proffered nook between arm and body, relishing the warmth radiating from him. She hadn't even realised she was cold. He cupped her face in his hands and stroked her cheek gently before looking back out to sea. She pointed to the picnic basket and he opened it, removing champagne, hand made chocolates and small triangular sandwiches. The young couple ate the feast in companionable silence before Squall took to his feet, running a hand absently through his hair and scratching his scar. Still not a word had been exchanged since they had arrived.

"Squall?" She whispered, fearful of the words that remained as yet unspoken. 

He looked at her, smiling and shaking his head. "Shhh." 

He took her hand and led her to the edge of the cliff. She followed him tentatively; watching his hand as it pointed to the sands below. She looked over the edge to see small torches lighting the dunes and the scripting that had been written there.

__

I love you Rinoa

Her breath caught in her throat as she simply stared, entranced at the scene before her. The sky had changed from the previous pastels to a blood red, the black twilight sea a stark contrast. She smiled a little, reciting a rhyme her mother had taught her,

"Red sky at night, shepherds delight." She felt his arms envelope her slim waist, his head resting on her shoulder. The silence was comfortable, warm. The lovers stayed for a time, watching the sun disappear into the depths of the brine. The moon took her place in the night sky and touched the world with her silvered fingertips. 

Rinoa felt Squall shift away as the darkness drew in around them, stars beginning to shimmer in the heavens above. He returned with a candle, unlit for now. Taking her by the hand, he lead her down the rocky terrain to the shore, the blanket slung casually over his shoulder. Setting the blanket down on the soft, white grains he lay down with his hands beneath his head, watching the night sky intently. She followed his lead and squinted, tying to see what he was looking at with such rapt attention. 

"This has to be the weirdest date we've ever been on." She thought, smiling slightly. Squall checked his watch; it was time. He caught her eye and pointed to the diamond-studded stratosphere. She audibly gasped as a single shooting star raced across the twilight sky, before fizzling out to a premature end. It was a beautiful sight to behold, more special for the significance it held for the two. Squall took her delicate hand in his own battle hardened ones and looked into her eyes. He began to speak, so softly she could hardly hear him over the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore.

"Rinoa, life is…unpredictable. The only certainty in life is that we shine brightly for a brief second in time, one snap shot, then we fizzle out. We die. That used to be the only certainty I ascribed to. Not anymore. Now, I know that love is precious, fleeting. That if you find it, you should risk everything to hold on to it. That is my new certainty and it came from learning to love with you. 

You saved me from myself, if you hadn't found me during time compression I…well, I wouldn't be here. I was searching for you; I was so scared in case you were gone. I'd never felt fear like that before. That was when I realised it's so fragile, this thing we call love. And life is nothing without love. Do you remember when I told you I'd be waiting in the flower field for you if you ever needed me?" 

Rinoa nodded, a single tear escaping her eye and rolling down the soft skin. He wiped it away with a finger and continued.

"I don't want to have to wait for you to find me. I want to be by your side, always. I'll forever be your knight. I know that in a perfect world my hands wouldn't be as stained as they are now, however, I also know that much as I try I can't change that fact. I'd love to hold you in my arms and know that I'm not tainted with the blood of others. I can't. You accept that, you accept **me**, despite how difficult I can be. That's how I know that you're **the one**. I always thought that was a crock, a stupid conglomeration of words made up by stupid card makers to sell stupid bits of paper, until I met **you**. You turned my world upside down, inside out and I love it. I love you. Will you turn my world a bit more? Will you marry me?" 

He locked eyes with her, the tempest brewing in his eyes threatening to spill over. She looked, speechless, at the ring he held out to her, begging her silently with those eyes. She slipped her ring finger though the cool metal and leapt into his arms, squeezing the air from his lungs. A tear trickled down her face and she smiled into his chest, restraining the sobs that threatened to burst from her lungs. 

He stroked her midnight locks and whispered into her ear, "Is that a "no"?" She shook her head, still buried in his chest. 

He looked amused at her small form snuggled into his larger one. "Is that a "yes" then?" 

She looked up at him with hot, salty tears coursing down her face. She grinned broadly and punched him lightly, playfully. "Of course it's yes, dummy! I can't believe you needed to ask! What does the inscription mean?" 

"It means never forget how much I love you. Never forget **me**." He lifted her chin up, her lips meeting his own. 

Locked in an embrace, time seemed to stop. When they pulled away, she looked at him almost shyly. "How could I? I love you." 

He kissed her once more before lighting the candle to make the journey back to the car. "I love you, too."


	21. Rememberance

Disclaimer: I like cheese and final fantasy. I own neither.

~*Chapter 21*~

"You nervous?" Irvine looked sideways at his bride, idly chewing a piece of grass. She squinted back at him, shielding her eyes from the sun from her position beside him. His long legs stretched out far beyond her own tiny limbs and she stroked Angelo; they were pet sitting as a favour to Squall, he was taking Rinoa somewhere or another.

"Nah, I just want to get it over with. I'm looking forward to Trabia." She grinned impishly. The newlyweds had decided to book their honeymoon at Selphie's former home, favouring the lure of the piste to the charms of the beach.

"Well, after tomorrow we've got a whole month to ourselves. I intend to fully take advantage of you, I mean it." He grinned wickedly at her and she giggled.

"Is that all you think about Irvy?"

He responded with a throaty growl, pouncing on her and pinning her to the ground. Angelo bounded about, barking excitedly at the scene unfolding. Irvine tickled her on her weak spot; her ribs, showing no mercy. When she begged him to stop in between breathless fits of laughter he relented, replacing the fingers with lips, kissing her urgently.

Neither noticed the stealthy approach of a petite, smiling brunette followed sulkily by a tall, frowning blond. While the brown haired woman watched the lovers patiently, waiting for an appropriate moment to interrupt, the green-eyed youth swung the flat of his blade against Irvine's rear end. Hard. Irvine yelped, scrambling off of Selphie while rubbing his backside to meet the smirk of Seifer and the warm smile of Ellone. Selphie blushed, jumping to her feet before brushing herself off and offering Elle a sheepish grin.

"Seifer, apologise to Irvine. There was no need for that." Elle wagged a finger at the sullen youth, who responded with a grin.

"Ah, c'mon Elle! If I hadn't done that, we'd have been waiting for hours, and we'd have seen a bit more of Irvine than I would personally be comfortable with."

Elle's peals of laughter flowed across the plains before she turned to the couple. "Congratulations! I knew from the moment I met you both that this was on the cards! I'm so sorry I wasn't here but…"

"It's ok Elle. We know. And you were here with us in spirit." Selphie grasped Elle's hand and squeezed it in understanding. 

Irvine narrowed his eyes at Seifer, mirroring Angelo's own unease with the youth. "What're you doing here?"

Seifer puffed up his chest, faking bravado. "Quistis said I should talk to you. Something about the Sorceress Edea and an orphanage? Any idea what she was prattling on about cowboy, messenger girl?"

Selphie sighed at his arrogance and focused her attentions on calming Angelo. Irvine smirked and folded his arms. "Sure I'll tell ya bud. Maybe then you'll stop being such an asshole to your friends."

Seifer clenched his fist, opened his mouth to spit angry words at Irvine, but was stopped by the calming hand of Ellone. He couldn't figure out why she had this effect on him. 

"Stop. That is enough. Irvine, why don't you tell him of his past? I can show him while you talk." 

Irvine nodded and she turned to address Seifer. "Seifer? Lie down here, close your eyes. Think of one time or place where you felt truly happy, completely safe." She placed cool hands on his forehead; it seemed as if an energy was flowing through her fingertips into his mind. He soon found himself on a barren plane; the only other soul there was Elle, standing out against the murky brown sky.

"Ellone? Where are we?" He called into the darkness, his voice seeming to be swallowed by the depths and peaks of his surroundings.

"We're on the temporal plane; it's a gateway to the past. From here, I can show any moment in your life that has already been lived and experienced. We're going to see your childhood Seifer."

He crossed his arms and stared at the mud below his feet sullenly, "Tch. Fine."

A smile played about her lips and she closed her eyes, concentrating on her task. A bright light enveloped the two and he found himself at the orphanage in Centra. 

He heard Irvine's voice break into his mind. "When we were kid's we were at an orphanage; all of us were. We grew up as a family until we went to different places, met different people."

Small children began to appear in front of the amazed Seifer, interacting as they emerged from nowhere.

Irvine continued, "Me and Sefie were there of course. Squall, Zell, Quisty and Ellone, we all called her Sis. You were there too Seif." 

The young Seifer teased a crying Zell, "Chicken wuss! Go run tell matron!" The older boy looked at his younger self and passed a hand through the image. 

"Ellone?" 

She shook her head, gesturing for him to listen to Irvine.

"Matron was our mother at the orphanage. She and Headmaster Cid were our parents. Matron is Edea. When we were travelling through time compression, Squall saw what happened, what made Edea turn from our mother into a power hungry harpy. We must've only been about five or so…Ultimecia travelled through time to pass on her powers before she died after her defeat at our hands. 

Matron took those powers so they would not taint any of her children. She sacrificed her life for us. She knew that Ultimecia would inhabit her body, control her. That's why she and Cid founded Garden. Squall had told her during time compression that SeeD and Garden had defeated the sorceress Ultimecia, she knew from that what she had to do. 

Anyway, the reason you don't remember any of this is because of the GF's. They give us power, but they space they inhabit in our minds pushes out our memories. We all keep journals. When the GF's let you wield their power again; maybe you should think about doing the same, just a suggestion bud. There's no way we can recover those memories, it's the price we have to pay for the strength we owe to them." 

Seifer heard him sigh. He couldn't connect the voice of the self-confident man in his head with the gawky boy in front of him. He was, as always, chasing a giggling girl Seifer identified as Selphie from her wide jade eyes, and a nonchalant blonde he assumed was Quistis. He watched his younger self poke Squall in the ribs, the smiling brown haired girl who had been present previously had vanished and Squall's happiness had vanished with her.

"Hey Squall! Yoo know why Sis went away? Cause she hated yoo! Everyone hates yoo!" Seifer heard the child laugh cruelly before knocking the smaller, pale Squall to the ground.

"Yoo're lying Seifer. She loves me and I love her and one day my daddy'll come and he'll be mad that yoo're nasty to me." He said the words quietly and with conviction.

The blonde boy turned with a twisted grin, "Nuh uh. Who'd love yoo? Yoo're weird!"

"Shut up Seifer! We all like Squall! It's yoo that no one likes! Meanie!" A high-pitched squeak came from the tiny Zell who was shaking with rage. He put his arm around Squall who shrugged it off.

"Stay out of it chicken wuss, or yoo'll be next!" Seifer yelled at the smaller child.

Zell backed down and Squall padded over to Seifer silently, thumb in mouth. He stopped, two inches from Seifer's face, standing on his tiptoes until he was nose to nose with the taller boy.

"…Whatever." Squall turned on his heel and left an astonished child Seifer in his wake, the adult Seifer was grinning in amusement.

"So Squall did have some spunk! I can't believe I didn't beat that look off his face!" 

He turned to Ellone who was watching him with interest. She stood slowly and took his hand. Surprised at himself, he let her lead him down the rocky path to the beach. He watched the scene unfold as all the children from the orphanage trooped down with matron to watch fireworks burn across the night sky, a soot-faced, smiling Cid setting up the barbecue. 

The young Seifer walked across to a morose Squall who was watching the waves lap against the shore. "Whacha doin' Squall?"

"Watchin' the waves. Why? Yoo gonna hit me again?"

"Nah, I ain't gonna hit ya and I was just wondering why yoo're here alone. Seems pretty boring to me. Why aren't yoo ever happy?" The boy sighed taking a seat by Squall, Edea and Cid exchanged looks of relief.

"Everyone left me and nobody loves me. Just like yoo said." Squall sniffled, rubbing his nose.

"I didn't mean that. I don't **love **yoo, but I do like ya, everyone does. We're a family, see? Stop being such a cry baby, yoo need to toughen up! I can show ya, if ya want."

"Really?" 

Both Seifer's nodded, "Really."

The two boys ran laughing back to the rest of the children, who greeted both boys return with glee, enveloping them with the love and exuberance only children can offer. Seifer groaned as the familiar white light engulfed him once more and he felt his head spin. He opened his eyes to see Ellone cradling his limp body. He grinned at her and touched her cheek with a gloved hand.

"Elle? Irvine? Thanks." He got to his feet without another word and sauntered off in the direction of the Garden, whistling. 

Irvine looked at Ellone, puzzled. "That's a sight I never thought I'd see; a happy Seifer? I gotta go get my eyes checked." 

Ellone patted his shoulder; "He's coming round. It'll take some time, but that bond we all had has already started to resurface. Thank you for letting me help, Irvy."

He grinned at her and squeezed Selphie tightly, "Thank **you**! I don't think he'd have listened without your intervention."

Ellone's smile turned to a slight frown as she checked her watch, "Is that the time? I have to go guy's; I'll meet you back at Garden." She rushed off, leaving Irvine and Selphie staring at each other. She raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Irvine was perturbed by the look.

"Shall we carry on from where we left off?" 

His face broke into a grin, "Sound's good, Mrs. Kinneas."

He leaned in for a kiss and was distracted by a poking at his crotch, "Selphie, really! Can't you control yourself around me? Manhandling me like a common hussy, you ought to be ashamed of yourself! Can't say I blame you though…"

The confusion was apparent in her eyes as she drew back from her husband, "What **are** you talking about?"

He looked at his crotch to find an impatient Angelo nosing at him, eager to get back to Garden and see Rinoa. He coloured and kissed Selphie hastily on the cheek, patting Angelo at the same time to calm the whining dog.

"Sorry hon. We'd better get her back to Rinoa, before she bites me somewhere very unpleasant." 

Selphie's laugh tinkled across the plane's as they started the long walk home, Angelo rushing ahead and looking back impatiently at the two slow humans.

~*~*~

The youth swung the blade expertly, catching his master out for once. The laughter he dreaded spewed forth again and the boy struggled to keep the grimace from his face.

"Is it time master?"

The cloaked figure nodded sagely, "It is time. Tomorrow shall be the day of reckoning. Tomorrow, you shall be worthy."


	22. Melting

Disclaimer: Though final fantasy 8 is the inspiration behind this fic, I have nothing else to do with it. I own nothing. My nose stud fell out and it hurts.

~*Chapter 22*~

"Commander!" 

The shout echoed across the empty entrance hall in Balamb Garden, an impatient Nida tapping his foot and looking pointedly at his watch. Squall picked up his pace a little, a sheepish, apologetic look firmly on his features. A grinning Rinoa tried and failed to suppress her giggles at his tardiness, leaving him more than a little embarrassed that even his fiancee with her impeccable record for lateness had made it to the briefing before him. 

He pulled at the collar of the SeeD uniform, grimacing a little at the heavy cloth. It had been so long since he had last had occasion to wear this. He cleared his head of the painful memories and concentrated on looking at Rinoa in her own uniform. He had never thought the female version of the uniform particularly flattering on either Selphie or Quistis, but on Rinoa…he chastised himself and forced his ears to take in Cid's brief.

"Good morning SeeD's and SeeD candidates. The objective of the SeeD exam today is to rid Timber of the remaining Galbadian military personnel. We have been instructed by our contractor's, the Galbadian government themselves, to use any means necessary. That includes deadly force. The personnel that still remain are a rebel faction in their own right, still set on the goal of time compression for Ultimecia. If the SeeD candidates fail, qualified SeeD's will complete the mission, they always do. Any questions? No? Then good luck to you all and come back safe. Hyne speed and be with you."

His piece said; Cid walked to the loving embrace of his wife. 

Nida continued from where the headmaster had left off. "Ok everyone, listen up. Team leaders are Squad A: Seifer Almasy, Squad B: Glaen Drobe and Squad C: Sierran Robert's. The supporting SeeD's for each squad are as follows: Squad A: SeeD's Kinneas, S and Dincht, Squad B: SeeD's Kinneas, I and Leonhart, Squad C: SeeD's Heartilly and Trepe. Assemble at the Balamb docks in thirty minutes, the supporting SeeD's will relay the rest of the briefing. That is all." 

Nida turned smartly on his heel, leaving the excited candidates milling around in a panic, while the more experienced SeeD's rubbed sleep from their heavy lidded eyes, not yet back in the habit of the early starts that came with being a SeeD. 

Quistis was the first to round up her hopefuls, "Come on guy's let's show them what Squad C can do!" She punched the air, leaving her comrades and several of the Trepies in her Squad open mouthed in shock. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. 

Zell joined in the commotion, "That's my girl! But I'm still gonna whoop your ass Trepe! Come on Squad A!" His giggling troupe followed the diminutive blonde as he sprinted to the garage to grab the car assigned to the car. 

Selphie and Rinoa looked at each other silently before saluting their other halves, grinning as they pushed each other playfully out the way to catch up with their respective squad's. Squall eyed his and Irvine's squad warily, a mismatched group who seemed out of their depth already. He sighed and resigned himself to his group's probable failure.

"Sierran Robert's?" He watched as a small, red headed girl raised her hand timorously. 

"I, I'm Sierran." 

"Nice to meet you Sierran. Are you aquatinted with your squad?" 

The girl looked terrified and shook her head, Irvine watched his friends' impatience grow and decided to intervene. "No problem guys, we'll talk more on the ship. Hey, don't look so nervous! My field exam was Ultimecia, at least yours isn't quite at that level!" 

Irvine chuckled to himself before turning it into a cough when he realised no one else was laughing. He straightened his face and continued, "Okaaay, everyone. Name, age and weapon, give us something to talk about on the way there, huh? You go first squad leader."

She blushed, red merging into red and giggled, "M, me? I, I'm Sierran Robert's. I'm sixteen and I use the staff." 

Squall groaned softly, staff users were notoriously weak in strength. He only hoped she was a brilliant para magic user.

"Great! So, you use magic then?" Irvine looked at her in the rear view mirror and winked.

The girl looked startled, "No, why?" 

Irvine felt his smile falter, but managed to keep it in place. "Just wondering. Next?"

"Preane Lefolt. Nineteen. Swordsman." The brunette looked down his nose with distaste at Irvine, an impressive feat as he was about the same height as Selphie.

Irvine just grinned sloppily, ignoring the arrogance of the boy and pointed at the last member of the team. A plump, blond girl simpered back at him, her hair flicked at the ends like Selphie's.

"I'm Fertia Opelmier. I'm seventeen and I use the shinobou, just like Selphie! My friends say that if I dyed my hair I'd be just like her! What do you think? I think you're great!"

Squall hid a smile while Preane snorted in derision. Either Fertia didn't notice or she didn't care. 

Irvine smiled weakly at her while rubbing his chin. "Uh, yeah. I can see…that. Hey, we're here, better late than never. Hurry on board." Irvine abandoned the car and ran to his wife, the two of them whispering and giggling immediately. His charges safely on board, Squall joined Rinoa.

"Hey you. What's wrong?" Her smile melted as she saw his darkened mood.

"Nothing. They've just given us candidates who shouldn't be here at all. I'm going to spend today watching their backs and my own in case they accidentally mistake me for the enemy." He grumbled.

Rinoa laughed, "Oh, my poor Squally! Come on, the other's are waiting and we've got an announcement!" She tickled him in the ribs before running into the SeeD cabin, her fiancée hot on her heels.

Selphie looked up from Irvine's chest to met Squall's gaze, sympathy evident in her eyes. "Irvy's been telling us about your squad. Poor you, poor both of you! That must suck. Our squad's great, huh Zell?"

He nodded, a hotdog stuffed in his mouth preventing any speech. He offered a bag of hotdog's round the group, a satisfied grin lighting his face when no one took him up on his generosity. 

Rinoa snuggled into Squall, his arm draping absently around her waist, "So's ours. You just must've got the bottom of the barrel."

Quistis nodded in silent agreement before letting out a squeak. She covered her mouth and pointed at Rinoa's hand. "Rin? Is that…?" 

Squall and Rinoa nodded together. The cabin degenerated into chaos, everyone clamouring to see the ring Rinoa sported and to offer their congratulations to the happy couple.

"When, when did this happen? How could you not tell us?" Selphie spluttered, pointing an accusing finger at Rinoa.

"Just yesterday! When you had Angelo, Squall took me out and, well, you can see what happened." Rinoa laughed at the fuss they were making.

"Tell us how he did it!" Selphie squealed, clapping her hands in glee.

Rinoa shook her head slowly, "It's private, I want to be selfish and keep it to myself."

Selphie nodded sagely and Squall's relief was enormous. Zell began choking on his breakfast, cured quickly by a thump on the back from Irvine. He smiled weakly in thanks and looked over at Quistis, private nostalgia evident for the public to view. 

Zell shook her gently, "Quisty? What's up? You're not jealous are ya? I thought…"

She laughed gently, silencing him with her smile. "No Zell. I was just thinking back to how we got together, do you remember?"

The rest of the group crowded in, eager to hear. Zell blushed and crossed his arms. "I remember, but they aren't getting to know!" He mumbled.

"Oh come on Zell! We don't even know how this came about! You and Quisty together it's, well, it's bizarre!" Selphie patted Zell's knee and he groaned, looking pleadingly at Quistis.

"Quisty?" He implored her.

She shook her head and started her story. "When we got back to Garden after everything had blown over I was made an Instructor again. Apparently, it had been NORG who had wanted me out, not Cid or anyone else. Anyway, I was in the library one day when Zell comes up to me, asking for some help with finding a book on hotdog's. He had these big, puppy dog eyes and I couldn't say no, so I helped him. 

To thank me, he took me to the cafeteria to get a hotdog, only he didn't get one, he got fourteen. He tried to eat them all without inhaling I think, and he started to choke like usual. I took him to the infirmary and Dr. Kadowaki sorted him out, but he was in a pretty bad way. When he'd choked, he'd hit himself in the chest, forgetting he had his gloves on, and he'd given himself some pretty serious internal injuries. I stayed with him for the week he was in the infirmary, and as the time wore on I realised what a great guy he is. Funny, caring, sensitive…everything I love. I fell in love with him as he slept. It's the only time I saw him that peaceful! Anyway, when he came to, he looked up at me with those big blue eyes and said,

"You're still here? I thought you'd have gone home. I made such an ass of myself, huh?"

I replied that I couldn't leave him like that because he was one of my best friends. He went all quiet, mumbling about how he thought I was pretty and he wanted to be more than friends, that's why he'd pestered me about the book in the library and taken me to the cafeteria. The hotdog's were a way of showing off that backfired! Anyway, I thought it was so sweet, and that sealed it. We've been together since then."

Selphie grinned and ruffled Zell's hair, "Aw, who'd have thought you'd be such a darling!"

Zell was bright red and shook her off, "Thanks Quisty, remind me to embarrass you soon. Hey, what about you and the cowboy Sef? I mean, it was obvious he liked you, but it was obvious he liked anything female! What happened there?"

Irvine smiled at his bride and kissed her forehead, "I'll take this one Sefie. Well, it's like this guys. Since the orphanage, Sefie and me were always close, best buds and confidantes. That grew over the years from being only a love for a friend into a lover's relationship. When I saw Sefie again I couldn't believe it. She's more beautiful everyday and it amazes me more everyday because I don't know how she can get anymore beautiful. 

The night before we went through time compression I told her how I felt, I swore I'd always be there for her, love and protect her. I still mean it. So, we got together that night, she's what kept me going my whole life. I lived to see her again when I was at Galbadia and I fought for our future together when I was fighting Ultimecia."

He smiled gently at Selphie and she looked up into his eyes with love. He turned to Squall with a grin. "Squall? What about you and Rin? How **did** she melt that ice?" 

He asked slyly, he never expected a reply at all, never mind one from Squall and stared amazed when he began to speak softly and hesitantly.

"When Rinoa was unconscious I realised I'd do anything for her. When we were in space, I knew I had feelings for her, I just couldn't express them at that point. The breaking point was when she was in that damn memorial, I, I couldn't contemplate failure. I had to get her out. I loved her. Still do, more if that's possible." 

The other's contemplated his words in silence, while Rinoa smiled at her memories of his barriers breaking, slowly but surely.

__

The wind howled around her as she searched in vain for something, anything that would lead her to him. A slash of black moved steadily across the mottled grey before falling to the ground below. All was still. 

She rushed to the figure, clasping the rings around her neck as she realised it was he. Her legs found haste anew and she felt as though she had flown the last distance that had separated them. 

She looked down at the lifeless figure, not daring to breathe. Her voice came out a strangled whisper.

"Squall?" No response. She took the body in her arms, cradling her knight to her heart, willing him back to life. She spoke again, her voice gaining little strength.

"Squall!" The stormy eyes remained closed and she held him closer still, tears escaping her as she drowned in her sorrow. She hadn't got to tell him…

The wind returned as a pleasant breeze on her skin and she watched in awe as the murky landscape rolled back to reveal the flower field. 

"You promised…" She whispered, fighting back the tears as his eyes fluttered open, his gloved hand coming up to caress her cheek.

"Told you I'd be waiting." He croaked, pulling her down to brush her lips with his own.

~*~*~

"Come on Squall, please?" She pleaded.

"No."

__

"For me?"

"No."

"Meanie." 

She sat pouting on the beach, looking up at the lighthouse. It was a source of fascination, she'd never seen one before and her exploration urges were kicking in. He sat sullenly watching her. Groaning, he pulled himself to his feet and offered her his hand.

"Come on then."

She looked up at him, "Where?"

He pointed to the lighthouse and watched in amazement as she turned her back to him.

"No."

"What?" He stepped back in disbelief.

"No." 

"But you wanted to go!"

"And now I don't. Go figure." She crossed her arms, trying to hide a smile.

He stared at her. Realisation dawned on him.

"Please? For me?"

She laughed and took his hand, "Well, ok. But only because you asked me so nicely!"

~*~*~

He was frantic. He told her not to go anywhere without him, and yet here he was searching the island for the wayward sorceress. He fumed silently as he destroyed another Chimera effortlessly, his rage making his strength tenfold. How could she do this? 

"Making me worry like this. If I didn't love her, I swear to Hyne I'd…" He stopped with a start. He was worried about her. He loved her. A glimpse of blue caught his attention and he shoved the thoughts roughly to one side as he ran to the beach. She sat serenely watching the waves as he had done during his childhood.

"Rinoa!" She turned to him, smiling. His heart melted, and with it, his anger.

"Rinoa, I…don't go off like that again, ok? I was…scared that something had happened to you."

She raised an eyebrow quizzically, "Why?"

He tried to suppress his emotions, "Because I'm your knight and I'm here to protect you."

"Is that all?" She looked crestfallen and he softened.

"No. Rinoa, I, I…love you." He hung his head, as if expecting a reprimand. Instead, he felt her soft body press against his own solid form and she lifted his head, looking deep into his eyes.

"I love you, Squall Leonhart."

~*~*~

__

The jolt of the boat hitting land jerked Rinoa from her memories.

"Everyone out! It's hostile out there, watch your back!" An unknown voice boomed through the tannoy and she turned to Irvine when she realised Squall, Selphie and Quistis were missing.

"Where are the others Irvy?" 

"They're finishing the brief, you've been sleeping for an hour SeeD Heartilly. Tsk Tsk!" He winked at her and she grinned, saluting smartly.

"Well then SeeD Kinneas, let the battle commence! Hope your candidates don't cramp your style!"

She ran off to get Quistis and the rest of the squad, laughing at Irvine's cry,

"Cramp **my** style? Ain't **never** gonna happen, baby!"


	23. Battle

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy 8 is owned by Squaresoft. Remember, you're not a salmon.

~*Chapter 23*~

Squall glared half heartedly at his giggling fiancee. It had to be the hundredth time that day he had slapped a hand to his forehead in sheer frustration and Rinoa found his quiet despair a source of endless amusement. He groaned inwardly at the small hand tugging at his sleeve, scratching his scar involuntarily as he forced himself to look down at the insistent Sierran. He raised an eyebrow to signify she had gained his attention and she blew a stray lock of auburn from her eyes to meet his gaze

"Are we nearly there yet? I'm soooo tired and we've not even had any real combat! We've been walking for hours, why did we have to come by boat anyway? You could've just…"

His fragile patience, too sorely tested, shattered like glass. "You think you have what it takes to be a SeeD? You think you can be one of the elite? You can't even walk for **ten minutes** without complaining! What are you going to do in a real combat situation? What will you do when you're bleeding and battle weary? When your muscles are screaming for some respite, yet all you can do is push yourself forward; because you know if you stop so will your life? What will you do?" He growled at the younger girl, satisfied by the obvious effect his words were having.

Irvine ran over, closely followed by Rinoa. The air was heavy with the discord within the group.

Sierran cowered beneath Squall's unforgiving stare, "I, I'm sorry."

His gaze softened slightly, his tone becoming almost gentle. "What will you do?"

She straightened up, holding her head high and meeting his eyes defiantly. "I'll go on, I'll **fight** on. I will hold my own and I will honour the ranks of SeeD."

Squall smiled inwardly, never allowing the expression to surface. "Good. Remember that cadet. We arrive in the centre of Timber in five minutes." He stalked away to check on the rest of the squad, leaving a relieved Irvine and Rinoa in his wake.

"Minor crisis averted." Rinoa breathed.

"Yeah. Jeez, he just totally flipped! Can't say I blame him, it was going to be one of us by the end of the day. They're even driving **me** crazy and I can take most things on the chin."

She smiled in acquiescence, squinting at the horizon. She jumped and gave a little yelp, pointing to two distant figures. She took off in a run, the rest of her squad following her lead leaving a confused Squall watching her fleeing figure. Irvine sauntered up to his side, punching his arm in a friendly manner.

"Where's Rin rushing off to?" Squall glanced at Irvine who was peering at the small group gathered in the distance.

"I think…yeah. It's those crazy dudes, what's their names, Zone and Watts?"

"Oh Hyne. Not again." Squall sighed and massaged his temples before looking at Irvine wearily.

Irvine grinned and motioned to Squall to fix a smile on his face before they reached the lively group. Squall ignored the advice and stuck with his sullen expression, hoping it would distract Rinoa's cronies from trying to make small talk with him.

"Sir! It's good to see you again sir! Congratulations on saving the world!" Watts managed to grab his hand and shake it enthusiastically, leaving Squall wincing at the surprising strength of his grip.

"And the engagement. Don't forget our congratulation on the engagement too! Ouch, my stomach…" Zone interjected before becoming somewhat green and squatting in a corner.

"I knew this would happen the day you met our princess! She talked about you ever since the night of your Graduation ball sir! I know you'll make each other happy sir!"

Squalls head started to ache and Rinoa smoothly interrupted, recognising the signs of distress in her beloved. "Thanks guys. What're you doing here anyway?"

"I was gathering intelligence and we heard about the SeeD operation to finally liberate Timber sir. We hoped you'd be here, so we took a chance and came down to pass on our information sir."

"What information do you have?"

Watts produced a hand drawn map with a flourish. "The Galbadian's are still in residence at the hotel sir. A full on frontal attack will be impossible; the entrance is heavily guarded. But, there's an entrance into the hotel's basement from the sewer system that runs under Timber, sir. If you use that, you should be able to enter unnoticed sir."

"Is the leader in the hotel at present?" Squall queried, surprised that the information was actually of use.

"No, sir. He's out on routine training exercises."

"Where?"

Watts hesitated briefly as he tried to remember before grinning inanely. "The TV station sir! It's been abandoned since the last broadcast and he goes there alone to train!"

Squall patted him on the back. "Any other major groups in the city?"

"Sir, a sizeable group has over taken the Timber Maniacs building."

"Perfect." 

He turned to address the three squads who were eagerly awaiting his instructions. "Ok cadets. Squad A, you will liberate the hotel, Squad B, your mission is to free the Timber Maniacs building. Squad C: find the leader of the rebel faction and ensure his compliance with the liberation. All squads once their objectives are complete will perform a sweep of Timber and the surrounding area to mop up any remaining pockets of resistance. You all heard the headmaster, use any means necessary. We will meet back at the ship at eighteen hundred hours. Good luck." 

The other squads dispersed speedily, leaving Squall and Irvine to contemplate their own squad's next move. Squall turned to face the noise of a throat being cleared and found Zone standing next to him. "So, uh, what do you want us to do?"

"We have a very important task for you. To ensure the success of the mission, we need two lookouts in the pet shop. Any chance we can count on you guys for that? It is imperative we have a presence there." Squall looked at Irvine incredulously; he shrugged his shoulders very slightly and grinned. 

When he grasped that Irvine was trying to keep them out of harms, and indeed SeeD's way, Squall played along with the charade to entice the sceptical duo. "Yeah, uh, you have to be there in case any Galbadian's come past there. If they do, just give us a shout and we'll come running."

Watts nodded and grinned, "You can count on us sir!" 

Squall and Irvine watched as the two ran off before turning their attention back to their squad. 

Irvine cocked his hat and swung Exeter over his shoulder, "Everyone ready?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Have you finished your little get together? Fantastic. Now we can maybe get on with the real reason we're here." Preane sniffed snootily, barging his way past Squall.

Irvine put a restraining hand on Squall's arm, "Let it go man. Don't let him get to you."

"I'm trying. It never usually bothers me, but…I have a bad feeling about today."

"So do I, and I think I know why. Look at them!" Irvine whispered. Preane was swiping at a passing cat with his sword while Sierran was in hysterical fits of tears due to his actions. Fertia just watched Irvine. Constantly.

Squall shook his head, amusement drawing a smile from him even now. "You're right, that's all it'll be."

Irvine just nodded before gesturing to the squad their destination. They followed dutifully and he turned back to face his companion. "Squall? I think it's gonna be a long day."

~*~*~

"Come on out and fight like men, you Galbadian dogs!" 

Seifer smirked at the words of his squad member. Their mission was all but complete, four Galbadian's were left in one of the hotel rooms and attempts to lure them out had been unsuccessful. He decided on a more direct approach. "You, what's your name? Aquine? You use hand grenades, don't you?"

The girl nodded, "Yes sir."

He raised his voice so those in hiding could hear his words, "Great. Blow the door."

A look of confusion passed over Aquine's pretty face, "W, what?"

His face became harder, determination obvious. "Blow the damn door off its hinges."

She shrugged and produced a grenade; "You're the squad leader."

She brought the weapon up to her mouth, ready to pull the pin with her teeth when the door burst open and the Galbadian's tumbled out. 

The leader looked at Seifer, wild eyed with panic and flailing his arms. "Don't! Please, we surrender!"

Aquine looked over to Seifer who was leaning on the hilt of Hyperion, trying to contain his amusement. "Squad leader? You still want me to blow them to smithereens?"

"Hmm. I dunno. They've caused me a hell of a lot of bother. Do you know how difficult it'll be to get your colleagues blood out of this jacket?"

The man dropped to his knee's begging for mercy. "Please sir, spare us! We'll come quietly!"

Seifer nodded to Aquine who lowered the weapon. He tossed them some handcuffs, which were readily adorned, and lead them into the hotel lobby. The men gaped when they saw every one of their work mates sitting there sheepishly. 

One of the bound men eyed the leader of the newly captured squad with disdain. "So you fell for it too, huh?"

Seifer laughed as the man realised he had been conned into a peaceful surrender and started yelling at his men. 

He never noticed Quistis' approach and jumped as she tapped his shoulder. "Seifer? Well done. The hotel has been liberated, peacefully and without bloodshed. I think you may have grown up a little."

"Yeah, whatever Quisty. We finish loading these losers up then we head out to mop up, correct?" He smirked at her and she was further shocked by this display of leadership and duty. More than that though, she was shocked by the use of her pet name by him.

"Uh, yeah. Carry on."

He hauled a Galbadian to his feet and tossed him into the waiting van, "Have fun kids!" He grinned, earning a few expletives and death threats. 

Whistling as he carried on, he remarked to no one in particular, "Hyne, I love this job."

~*~*~

Irvine's sunny smile faltered as he watched the dire performance of the squad. Sierran crept up to the larger Galbadian officer, clearing her throat. "Sir?"

"What?" The man scowled and Sierran faltered under the hard gaze.

"We, we're from SeeD. We've been hired to stop your rebellion. Please desist your actions and hand me your weapon. We can resolve this peacefully."

"You can have my weapon when you pry it from my cold, lifeless fingers. I don't think you'll be quashing this particular rebellion without a fight missy, and I don't think you're up to that. Go home and play with your dollies." The man sneered, his face contorted into a glower.

Sierran's resolve returned and the squad attacked as a unit, styles blending together well, yet still not making any real impact on the Galbadian's defence.

"Should we help them? Sierran's last attack only grazed his elbow. I scanned the Galbadian, he's got showing no signs of weakening and he's healing quicker than they can wear him down. Preane's the only one doing any noticeable damage and even that's only a surface wound." Irvine asked Squall worriedly.

"No. They have ten minutes left until we step in, providing they survive that long. We can't interfere. Maybe they'll pull off a miracle. Rinoa's called in, the mop up mission's complete so at least we don't have to worry about that."

The time limit passed and Squall turned to Irvine, "Let's finish it."

"Sounds good." Irvine sorted his hat and cocked Exeter, before ambling over to the battle with Squall.

The Galbadian looked at the new arrivals with distaste, "What d'you want? Can't you see they're busy annoying me?"

"Stand down cadets." Squall addressed the squad before turning to the officer. "We're SeeD's. This is your last chance. Surrender or face the consequences."

The Galbadian unleashed a war cry before rushing Squall, "Never!"

The man's weapon struck a glancing blow on Squall's ribs and he grimaced, putting the pain to the back of his mind as he concentrated on the opponent circling him, searching him for a weakness. The Galbadian lunged experimentally at him, testing and probing his defences, always retreating when his blows were parried with ease. Squall fought to keep a smile back as he watched his opponent's expression, knowing the officer realised that the SeeD was toying with him. He scanned the man, sensing no discernible weakness to any of the elements he had at his command. He quickly discounted the use of the GF's or even any of the non-elemental magic he had stored; he wanted to test his skills, blow off the cobwebs a month of relative inactivity had created. 

Sparring half heartedly, he constantly looked for a breach in the mans defence. He zoned in on a repeated mistake, a fatal flaw in the Galbadian's technique. As he lifted his weapon to strike his opponent, the man left a clear aperture in his barricades, a window of opportunity easily exploited. Squall waited until the blemish represented itself, and pounced, seizing on the chance to end the conflict. His gunblade felt some resistance as it encountered bone and muscle, yet still it cut through the mass as if it were mere butter, the weapon shuddering in his hand from the recoil as the bullet shattered the mans ribs. Squall retreated, his opponent staring at him from the blood stained floor with the glassy eyes of the dead. He sheathed the gunblade, turning to Irvine with a shake of the head and a sigh.

"That, that was amazing." Sierran breathed. Even Preane looked impressed. Fertia turned her attentions from Irvine to Squall and watched him with love stricken eyes.

A grenade shattering the world around him interrupted Squall as he attempted to conference with the squad. He looked around wildly for his assailant, catching a glimpse of a hooded figure in a corner. He shouted to Irvine but his voice was swallowed by the chaos. He ran to the figure, gunblade unsheathed. A dull thud resounded in his ears and he clutched his head as he fell to the ground. His eyelids heavy, the last thing he focused on before the darkness enveloped him confounded his confusion.

"This, this cannot be!"

A/N: Thanks now to Caleb Nova for his input and especially Refugee who revised part of the fic for me, the bit about Squall toying with the Galbadian is in his words, not mine and the fic is upgraded a notch for it!


	24. Confusion

Disclaimer: I love ff8 but I don't own anything at all to do with the ff series or Squaresoft. Apart from maybe Sierran, Preane and Fertia, but who wants to own them?

~*Chapter 24*~

"Come on man, wake up!" The voice was worried, insistent in its demands.

The sting of palm meeting cheek forced him to crack open his eyes and he grabbed the limb swinging toward him as the man attempted another rousing slap. The face of the man came into focus as his eyes adjusted to the twilight and the pain in his head slowed to a dull throb.

"There was no need to hit me…" He thought, groaning as he sat upright. Recognition of the man in front of him began and words formed in his mind, spilling from his mouth unconsciously.

"I, Irvine?"

Irvine looked relieved and hauled the youth to his feet, grinning. "Thank Hyne you woke up, Squall! Rinoa would've had my guts for garters if I'd brought you back in that state. Come on, let's get back to the transport, the missions finished."

"Where are we going?" He rasped, his voice cracking from the pain.

"**You're **going straight to Doc Kadowaki, but I'm sure Rin's got plans for you after you've been given the all clear!" Irvine winked and let the man lean heavily on him as they made their way back to the ship. 

Noticing his companion slipping back into unconsciousness, he engaged him in conversation. "You know, I never really got the chance to tell you how happy I am for you and Rinoa. I think it's great someone finally broke down those barriers, it's even better that you actually let her in. Marriage. It's a big step…never would have imagined it so soon for any of us, especially me and Sefie. But here we are Mr and Mrs Kinneas, leading the way. I guess you just know when the time's right, huh? You decided on a date, a place for the ceremony?"

The other boy shook his head dumbly, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. The ship in sight, Irvine picked up the pace and a collective sigh of relief was audible as they entered the cabin. 

Rinoa ran to the shaken boy, pressing her head to his chest. "Oh Squall, I was so worried! When your squad came back and you weren't with them, the worst things ran through my mind. Oh Hyne, I'm so glad you're safe."

He pushed her away gently, shaking his head before collapsing heavily in a chair, his eyes rolling back as the waves of unconsciousness stuck him once again.

"Squall? Squall?" Rinoa's voice began to rise in pitch and volume as hysteria began to take hold of her senses. 

Irvine put an arm around her shoulders, calming her. "It's ok Rin. He took a knock to the head, he'll be pretty dopey 'til we get him to the infirmary and get him checked over. Don't worry, he's a fighter. He'll be fine."

His soft voice soothed her and she sat down weakly beside the unconscious figure, cradling him in her arms. Tracing his scar lightly, she noticed it looked brighter against his paler than usual skin, probably due to the combination of shock and blood loss. 

She looked up from the study of his face and smiled at the group who were watching the pair worriedly. "You're right. Let's get him home."

~*~*~

"Open your eyes. Come on Commander, work with me a little here."

He groaned as his eyelids were forcefully pried open and a blinding white light shone into his eyes. He scowled at the woman fussing around him.

"Glad to see you've returned to the land of the living, Commander. Say your name for me."

He squinted before mumbling a reply, "Squall Leonhart."

"That's great. Well, you seem fine; there's no concussion so you're free to go. I'll go tell Rinoa."

She left the room and he sat up, grunting as a rush of blood to his head caught him unawares. Sitting forward, he rested his head in the palm of his hand, his eyes closed as he savoured the cool leather against his brow. His peace was shattered as a flash of blue dashed into the infirmary, knocking him backward onto the bed and suffocating him with kisses.

"Squall! It is **so good** to see you're better! Hyne, I've missed you!"

"Rinoa, take it easy on your fiancee!" The doctor interjected with a smile.

Rinoa coloured prettily, looking slightly abashed as she grinned, "News really does travel fast in Balamb. I'll make sure he gets plenty of bed rest Doctor Kadowaki."

The doctor smirked at the young couple and winked, "Real bed rest you two, not your own interesting slant on it."

Rinoa giggled ad mock saluted, "Yes ma'am! Thanks for taking care of him."

"Anytime. Now go on, there's a waiting room full of your friends out there and I can't treat my real patients."

Rinoa lead the youth by the hand, laughing as he retreated a little in shock at the cheers celebrating his departure from the Infirmary created. 

"Squall, man! You had us all worried back there. Must be losing your touch big guy!" Zell punched him in the arm playfully, the smile fading rapidly from his face when he received a cold glare from the boy. He retreated to the safety afforded by Quistis' touch as she hung back, scrutinising the new arrival.

"How are you feeling Commander?" She asked levelly.

"Never better Quistis."

She raised an eyebrow before smiling, "Glad to hear it."

Selphie grabbed Irvine in a tight squeeze before dancing on the spot, "I'm so happy you're ok Squall! Heeeey, why don't we all go out tonight, y'know celebrate?"

Rinoa watched as the man at her side looked at Selphie strangely, as if he wasn't sure how to interpret her. 

She cleared the thought from her head and smiled brightly. "Not tonight Sef, we're all chaperoning the Graduation Ball, remember?"

The petite auburn girl slapped a hand to her forehead dramatically, "How could I forget? I organised it! I swear to Hyne, I'm losing brain cells by the day!"

"Did you have many to begin with?" 

Rinoa looked at the man that was her fiancé in horror, astounded by the cruelty of his words. "Squall! He was only joking Sefie, weren't you?" She looked at him pointedly, fury visible in her eyes if not on her face.

He nodded, smirking, "Joking, yeah. Sorry Selphie."

Selphie smiled weakly, "Yeah, I know. It's ok! Uh, come on Irvy, let's go check out who passed the exam."

The cowboy dutifully followed his wife, shooting a confused look at Rinoa as he left. She shrugged, mouthing her apologies. Zell nudged Quistis in what was meant to be a subtle manner but instead looked as though he had shoved her to the side. 

She rolled her eyes before turning to Rinoa. "Rin? We're going to head off too, we both have things to pick up from Zell's mother for tonight."

She waved them off with an understanding smile, "Sure go ahead! I have to catch up with my fiance anyway."

Rinoa waited until the two slender blondes were out of earshot before rounding on her partner. "What the hell are you doing? Why were you so mean to Selphie? All your friends show their concern and their love for you by offering you support and you thank them how? By insulting them? What's your problem?" She smiled to keep up the pretence of happy coupledom to the outside world watching in on them, but her gritted teeth and blazing eyes betrayed her rage.

"I'm sorry Rinoa. I just feel a bit off. Will you walk with me to my room? I want to rest before tonight so we can all have a good night together."

Her face softened and some of the anger dissipated. "**Our** room, Squall. You're so set in your ways. Come on then."

They walked in silence to their apartment, Rinoa leading him gently by the hand while she contemplated his behaviour. "He really must not be feeling well to need my support like this. Poor Squall, I'll explain to everyone while he's resting why he's acting like this. Hopefully they won't be offended if he says anything to them if they know the reason." 

She nodded, smiling to herself as she established her course of action. Opening the door for him, she rushed ahead to prepare the bed for him. "Ok, Squall. I'll check in on you in an hour or so, try and get some sleep."

"Thanks Rinoa."

She smiled, "No problem sweetie. I love you."

He hesitated before lying to face away from her, "Uh, yeah. Whatever."

A lone tear ran down her cheek and she wiped it away gently as she closed the door to their home softly behind her. "He'll be better soon." The mantra repeated itself in her head as she tried to ingrain the words on her psyche.

She nodded in affirmation; "He has to be."

~*~*~

The howls of rage reverberated around the confines of the dungeon and the black clad man smirked as the voice raged against its incarceration. He was strong this one, resourceful. Even now he looked for tools in the sparse, dank cell, anything him to aid him in his futile attempts at escape from his keep. 

"There is no escape for you in this life, boy. Death awaits you." The shadowy figure whispered at the image on the screen as it pounded in frustration at the bars that held him, touching the flickering figure gently with a gnarled and calloused finger.

The representation of the boy on the screen slumped in a corner, worn out for the time being. He shivered involuntarily as the chill air bit at his tender, naked flesh. He could feel himself begin to mentally break down. The voices that whispered threats to him on the icy wind that blew throughout the night, his vulnerability to the elements, his inability to evade capture; the factors combined were beginning to eat at his sanity as they multiplied the effects of one another tenfold. He held his head high defiantly.

"No one will defeat me." He stated quietly.

A/N: Quick plug: If you like ffx, please check out my new fic which has been receiving all the attention since this chapter became nigh on impossible. The name I hear you cry? (Or not, whatever! : ) ) Unintentional.


	25. Redemption

Disclaimer: Still don't own Squaresoft, but I'm working on it! : )

~*Chapter 25*~

Rinoa sat in the sterile wards of the infirmary, shock registered on her delicate features as she listened to Doctor Kadowaki's diagnosis. "You're sure? Hyne…"

The doctor peered at her worriedly, "You're not happy? Was this planned, Rinoa?"

Rinoa shook her head, absently playing with the ring on her finger. "It wasn't planned…I guess I'm just a little surprised." She looked up, a dreamy little smile on her face. "I am happy though. It just remains to be seen how Squall take it, I hope he's ok with it."

The kindly woman placed an arm around the young woman's shoulders, "I'm positive he'll be thrilled. If he's not, there are…options available."

Rinoa's eyes flashed darkly as she rejected the suggestion vehemently, "No! I couldn't do that."

"Of course, it'll be fine. You worry too much Rinoa, you need to calm down, especially now. There's not only you to think of." 

She sighed heavily, looking at her reflection in the glass. "I know. I will."

~*~*~

"Yo, Squall!" Zell ran up to the dark haired youth, a film of sweat glistening on his brow.

"Hey…Zell. What do you want?"

Zell grinned, "Rin's looking for ya. She looks pretty happy, man. What's your secret?"

The other boy tapped the side of his nose, "Need to know basis." 

Zell's shoulders slumped and he looked devastated. "Damn. Well, she said she'd be in the flat when you're ready. Damn secretive bastard…" He sloped off, muttering to himself as his friend moved towards Rinoa's location.

Rinoa jumped as she heard the doors slide open with the familiar rush of air. In walked the face she loved, smiling.

"Thank Hyne he's in a good mood, it makes this a hell of a lot easier…" Rinoa thought, grinning as she met him in an embrace.

"Squall? I have something I need to tell you sweetie…It's a bit unexpected, but it's good news! I think you should maybe sit down."

He sat dutifully, looking up her expectantly with those eyes she loved. They seemed different somehow…cold. It was like looking back in time, the eyes reflecting the same cool aloofness that had been there the first time they had met. She smiled uncertainly before taking his hands in her own.

"Squall, honey, I'm, that is…Gee, this is hard!" She laughed a little, the giggles fading away as she caught the roll of his eyes. 

She cleared her throat. "I'm pregnant. I'm having our child."

"You're sure it's mine?"

Rinoa stepped backwards, reeling as if from a physical blow. "How, how can you even ask me that? Of course it's yours!"

His eyes were cold as ice as they penetrated her soul. "Get rid of it."

She shivered at the venom in his words, her reply a mere whisper. "What?"

"You heard. You're enough of a whining, snivelling brat to keep me occupied as it is, I don't need your damn spawn screwing up my life as well."

"You, you are joking, right?" She sank weakly to the floor, hugging her knees to her chest as tears flowed freely down her pale skin.

"No. I mean it Rinoa. Get rid of the damn thing. I don't need another complication in my life."

He turned on his heel and stalked out, leaving Rinoa weeping softly into the mane of Angelo.

Tentative knocks at the door made her look up groggily, her head pounding in time with the incessant rapping.

She called out hoarsely to her visitor, "Come in."

To her surprise, it wasn't any of her close friends. The person who stood before her was one she would never have expected to comfort her, yet she clung to the figure desperately. 

Seifer was slightly taken aback, yet he took her into his arms, smoothing her hair to still the sobs racking her small frame. "Come on Rin, ssh. What's wrong? I swear to Hyne, if Squall's hit you I'll…"

He felt her shake her head against his chest. "No Seifer, it's nothing like that…"

"What then?"

She looked up into his green eyes, for once free of the pervading smirk. "Seifer, I'm…" She felt the heat rise up her neck, some things would always be hard to say to an ex, especially an ex like Seifer.

"I'm pregnant and, and Squall was so horrible…He, he asked if it was his and he told me to get rid of our child. He said I was a brat, a whiny, snivelling brat. Is that how people see me, Seifer? My fiancee, he thinks…oh Hyne…"

He shook slightly in her grip, physically restraining his anger. Rage burned in his eyes as he spoke softly to the weeping woman he had once loved. "No one thinks that about you Rin, honest. He's probably just stressed out…he wouldn't have meant it. You stay here, ok? Get yourself looking even more gorgeous for tonight and I'll go see him."

She nodded, red, puffy eyes strengthening Seifer's resolve. "Thanks Seifer. I, I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. I'll sort it."

He made to leave, but was held back by a small hand on his arm. "Seifer, what made you come up here?"

"I came to thank that bastard for letting me back in Garden. I passed the SeeD exam."

"That's great Seifer, congratulations! Save me a dance tonight?" She winked, her indomitable spirit shining through.

"Of course Rin. I think it's great about the baby. Don't worry, he'll be up here apologising in no time."

He walked out, happy to finally wipe the false smile off his face. A fierce scowl took the place of the pleasantry and he stalked off to find Squall. "You better have a damn good reason for this Leonhart or I'll cut you up…" 

~*~*~

"Squall!"

The man didn't have time to respond to the enraged shout. The next thing he knew, he was on his back in the dirt, staring at the ceiling of the training centre. He narrowed his eyes at the blond towering above him before rising to dust himself off.

"What the hell is your problem?" Stormy grey eyes coruscated in anger, malice dripping from each word.

"My problem? Take a look in the fucking mirror, **Commander**. You've got a hysterical fiance up there and you're down here training? You selfish bastard, it's your fault she's upset!" Seifer prodded the other in the chest, his own rage consuming him.

"She's a whinging little bitch anyway, who gives a fuck?" Seifer was taken aback by the sneer on the youths face. The blond slammed him against the wall, the tip of Hyperion threatening the tender flesh of his opponent's throat. 

"**I** do. Now, listen and listen good Squall. Don't you ever, **ever** fucking hurt her again, or I'll kill you. Simple. As. That." He snapped his fingers to demonstrate his point before continuing. 

"I don't care what you've done in the past and I don't give a fuck about your friends. Once they know what you done to her they won't give a flying shit if I run you through with my blade. You **know** it's your kid, damn it! Give Rinoa her happiness! You fuck this up, I swear to Hyne I'll fuck **you** up. Got it?" His voice was low, menacing, and the other boy swallowed thickly, edging the gunblade away. 

"Got it. Catch you later."

"Don't forget this little chat Squally boy, it could be hazardous to your health if you do." Seifer called after the retreating figure, earning a one-fingered salute in return. 

He blinked before smirking. "That little shit…no one gets away with that Squall. No one."

He winced as a throbbing headache overcame him, forcing him to his knees. He looked around, expecting someone to be playing a prank, instead finding he was alone.

"Elle?" He called out into the depths of the forest, his voice becoming lost in the foliage. 

"It is not Ellone."

He felt the words reverberate in his head as he clutched his temples in agony. His eyes darted about, trying to find the unknown assailant. "Who the fuck is it then?" 

"Watch your mouth boy. I told you we'd gift you with our power when you had proved yourself, proven your worthiness. You have shown you are ready to receive our power."

"Bahamut?" Seifer gasped, in awe of the image now implanted in his mind. He scowled as he saw the great King of Dragons wink.

"Who else? Do you accept?"

"I do…is Squall in on this? Is that why he's being such an ass?"

Bahamut hesitated, "Things are not as they seem with that one. There are dark forces at work here. Watch him, he wishes to cause harm to us all. Protect the angel, she is the ray of light that will end this."

The image and the headache ebbed away and Seifer was left staring at the dust. He took a moment to figure out the events that had occurred before snapping back to reality.

"Who the fuck is the angel? What do you mean about Squall? What happened to him? Answer me!" He flung Hyperion to the ground in frustration, feeling a presence nestle in a corner of his mind. He sighed.

"Are you always so damn cryptic? Jeez…"

A snicker came from somewhere inside his head and he rolled his eyes, muttering. "Think you're so bloody funny…stupid GF's with their stupid sense of humour…"

~*~*~

The man scowled at the youth sprawled lazily on the floor, grinning up at him. The lad was infuriating him, the tortures; the starvation…nothing seemed to break his spirit. 

The boy addressed him, an eyebrow raised. "I was just thinking. You know, you have me sitting here stark naked for no reason I can see. Is that because you have homosexual tendencies? I got nothing against it personally, but if you wanted to see the goods, the least you could do was ask. I'd have said no of course, but it would've been polite before you forcibly removed my clothes."

The cloaked figure narrowed his eyes, his clutch on his staff so tight his knuckles were ghostly white. He left the room quickly to keep his tongue in check, his plans meant the boy could never see or hear anything that could identify him.

"I'll look forward to our next chat…don't forget that fine home cooking!" The boy's voice called after him, taunting him as he stalked down the hall. 

The pressure on the staff became too great and it snapped like a twig underfoot. He tossed it aside and kept walking. "Insolent wretch…just you wait. Nations will cower before me, we'll see if you retain your jovial nature then."

The boy drew his knees up to his chest and sighed. He was even annoying himself with his comments but it had become a game, an interesting way to displease his captor and keep himself sane at the same time. He had to carry on the pretence that the beatings and the other torments being meted out were having no effect on him. One name, one face kept him going in his hell. He closed his eyes, smiling, and allowed himself the luxury of picturing her, if only for a moment.


	26. Riddles

Disclaimer: Blah blah, don't own final fantasy, blah blah Squaresoft do.

~*Chapter 26*~

Seifer grinned at his reflection, straightening the uniform self-consciously. He brushed an imaginary speck of dust from the black suit before running his gloved fingers lightly over the gold braiding. 

He grunted in annoyance as the door to his dormitory slid open, turning to face the unwelcome intruder. "What the hell do you…Elle?"

He blinked, surprised to find the radiant young woman in front of him. She blushed, smiling prettily as she tried to explain. "Cid told me you'd be here. Uncle Laguna and I came over to see you all and since I don't have a suitable date for tonight, I was wondering…"

Seifer reddened. "What about Laguna? I mean, you came here with the guy and everything, won't he want to go with you?"

She grinned as he scratched the back of his head. "What, you don't wanna go with me?"

He shook his head vehemently, "No! That's not it at all!"

She chuckled lightly, running a hand down his arm. "I'm teasing! Uncle Laguna has some things to sort out with Cid first; they're going to the ball later. Come on Seif, you wouldn't want me walking in alone now would you?

Seifer pulled at the collar of the uniform, trying to quell the heat rising up his neck. "No, of course not. I'd be honoured to escort you Elle." He mock bowed, causing Elle to giggle. The grin faded from his face and he addressed her seriously.

"I want to keep an eye on Rin as well though, ok?"

She inclined her head to the left slightly, "Why?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "It's Squall. There's something…weird about him."

The worry shone through in her eyes, "In what way?"

"He's been acting strange since he got back. You know I don't like chicken wuss at the best of times but some of the things he's been saying to him, damn! Even **I** wouldn't take it that far. He's worse with Rin. I'm…worried for her."

"You still have feelings for her Seifer? If you do, I'll back away now, I…"

He took her by the shoulders, smiling uncertainly. "She's like a sister to me. Look, Elle, will you talk to him? See what his problem is?"

She nodded, confused by her "brothers" strange behaviour. "I don't understand why he'd do that to anyone. What did he say to Rinoa? What was so terrible?"

Seifer squeezed his eyes shut, trying to forget the image of the distraught Rinoa.

"Rinoa's pregnant. He told her to get rid of the kid. Their kid…that's not him Elle. We all know he worships the ground she walks on, we all know he never tries to hurt anyone. He tried to hurt her and he did."

Ellone drew in her breath sharply. "You're right. That's **not** him. I'll speak to him tonight, don't worry. He'll listen to me, especially if I get Uncle Laguna to back me up."

Her eyes twinkled and she winked at the astonished man. "But in the mean time, I believe you're meant to be escorting me to a party!"

~*~*~

Selphie bounded up to Rinoa, tugging at the hem of her SeeD uniform. The grin slid from her face as she saw her cheer was not returned. 

She touched Rinoa's arm lightly, concern growing as she watched the girl chew on her lower lip. "Rinny? Rinoa, what's wrong?"

She shook her head, smiling in defiance of the pain in her eyes. "Nothing Selphie. I'm fine."

"Liar."

Rinoa scratched her side, remarking absently. "These uniforms are so itchy…we should petition Cid for new ones."

Selphie frowned, "I'm not that gullible Rin. You're not this upset over a uniform. What's really the matter?" She looked around; suddenly realising Squall was missing from his usual position at Rinoa's hip. "Where's Squall?"

Rinoa sighed, a lone tear trickling down her face. "He's training. He said he'd maybe come by later."

The other girl put her hands on her hips, her voice shrill with annoyance. "So that's it! I'll get Irvy to go talk to him…what the hell is his problem just now anyway? We've all noticed it."

Rinoa caught her arm, pleading with her mahogany eyes. "Please Selphie, don't. I think it's my fault he's been acting strange."

"How can it be your fault Rin?" Selphie whispered furiously, trying to defuse the outside interest in their conversation.

Rinoa bit her bottom lip once again, eyes gleaming in the dimly lit ballroom. "I think he regrets asking me to marry him. Selphie, I'm pregnant. He doesn't want our child and I don't think he wants me."

Selphie's eyes widened in surprise, "Oh my Hyne! Rin, what did he say exactly, maybe you got the wrong end of the stick?"

She laughed bitterly, "I don't know how wrong I can be with "you're enough of a snivelling, whining brat, get rid of it.""

Selphie's voice was piercing as it called out over the ballroom. "Irvy!"

The cowboy, still with Stetson atop his long auburn locks sauntered over, a lopsided grin on his face.

"You called me, oh angel of delight?"

Selphie giggled before remembering why she'd called him over. "Irvy, go find Squall and bring him here. We need to have a little talk with our esteemed leader."

Irvine grinned, "Do I get to kick his ass?"

She wagged a finger, "Only if you're very, very good and he doesn't make it up to Rinny."

He tilted his head to the side, confused. "What'd he do?"

"Later. Go!"

Irvine dutifully sloped off, leaving the two women alone. 

"How far along are you Rin?"

"Huh? Oh, about a month or so. It wasn't that long ago since we…" She trailed off, a blush colouring her deathly pale complexion.

"Since you what?"

Rinoa looked up into the duel cerulean stares of Quistis and Zell. "Nothing." She shook her head.

Zell grinned. "Rinny's got a secret, eh? Quisty, can I torture it out of her?"

Quistis rolled her eyes in amusement. "No, Zell. Seriously though, what's wrong with you Rinoa? You haven't been yourself today."

Selphie crossed her arms, sticking her nose in the air. "There's nothing wrong with her that Squall sorting himself out wouldn't fix."

"That explains it. He has been acting more than a little strange recently. What's he done now?"

Rinoa burst into tears, unable to handle the emotional stress any longer. "He, he doesn't want me or our child! He's just a bastard like all the rest. I thought he was better than that Quisty, I though he was different." She smirked through the tears. "I guess I was wrong."

The group descended into a shocked silence before Zell broke the stillness. 

"You're pregnant? Well, I think that's great, don't you Quistis?"

She cleared her throat, "It is. We'll sort it Rin, don't worry. Whatever is making him act this way will be knocked out of him soon enough. I guarantee it."

~*~*~

"Yo, Squall!"

Irvine spotted the youth sweating as he felled a T-Rexaur and strode over to him purposefully. When he reached the dark haired boys side, he pushed him, throwing him off guard. 

The youth narrowed his eyes, growling at Irvine. "What the hell is your problem?"

Irvine flung up his hands incredulously, "What the hell is _my_problem? You've got Rinoa sobbing in the ballroom waiting for you to turn up and you ask me what my problem is? Get a grip, Squall! This is becoming too regular an occurrence, us having to come down here and try and sort out _your_ mess."

The boy sneered. "Tell that stupid little bitch to get a grip. Upset just because I told her to get rid of the bastard kid she's trying to pass off as mine, what a loser."

The cowboy didn't hesitate as he punched the other youth, speckles of blood flying into the air as his nose burst from the impact. He fell to the ground, rolling away from Irvine as he tried to regain use of his faculties.

"Fuck you, Irvine." He hissed, holding a hand to his nose to stem the bleeding. "What do you care about her anyway? Doesn't Selphie satisfy you? Maybe the kids yours…"

Irvine raised his fist, seeing red as he listened to the poison uttered from Squall's lips. As he was about to vent his anger once more, he was stopped by a shout.

"Irvine, don't!"

Both youths turned to see Seifer followed closely by Ellone and Laguna. Laguna's eyebrows were knitted together in confusion as he took in the sight of his son lying on the ground, bloodied by a blow from one of his best friends. "Hey guys…uh, what's going on."

Irvine pushed past the blood soaked youth roughly, glaring at him as he left. "You deal with you Hyne damn son, Laguna. I'm done with him, we all are."

He turned to address the boy one last time. "You come near any of us again, Rinoa especially, and I'll kill you."

He stormed off, leaving Laguna looking at his son quizzically. "Son? What have you done to make them all so mad?"

Seifer narrowed his eyes. "He got Rinoa pregnant and then told her he didn't want the child. Except he wasn't quite as articulate as that."

Laguna looked crestfallen and tried to put a hand on the disgraced boy's shoulder. He was surprised when he shook it off angrily, but continued none the less. "I thought you said you'd take care of her if something like this happened? That you'd be there for her, not let her get in trouble? Why are you hurting her?"

"Because this isn't Squall." A voice muttered.

Laguna and Seifer turned to Ellone. She repeated herself more clearly. "This isn't the real Squall, this isn't him! Something terrible must have happened; something must have traumatised him to make him like this!" She stood before the youth, smiling lovingly. "Isn't that right? What happened Squall? You can tell me."

He smirked and she stepped back in fear. "You think you know me? Well you don't. Stay out of my head and stay out of my damn way. Bitch."

Laguna stood slack jawed as the boy rounded on him. "And you! Call yourself a father? You're nothing but a fucking moron! Call me your son again and I'll run you through."

Seifer stood watching the other scarred man coolly, waiting for him. He wasn't disappointed.

"Almasy, just you watch your back. I'll be waiting for you…"

Ellone collapsed weakly in her perplexed uncles arms. "That isn't him! He's not like that…"

~*~*~

"Not so perfect now, are you?" He thought gleefully. The stone gave way as days and nights of scrabbling with his fingernails to take advantage of a small structural weakness in his prison paid off. He kicked a hole big enough to squeeze through and slid through easily, the weight he had lost proving useful. 

He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the outside world, savouring the heat of the sun on his skin after the time spent in the cool, dank cell. He reigned in his joy at his freedom for the time being, concentrating instead on getting as far from the hell he had been trapped in as possible. He ran, getting his bearings as he moved. He recognised the desert and racked his brains to remember where he was. It came to him like a bolt of lightening illuminating the night sky and he almost shouted with joy.

"The Kashkabald desert! I'll be home soon, Rinoa, I promise…Nothing can keep me from you."

Squall picked up the pace, each step burning the bare soles of his feet, every stride closer to home, closer to _her_. He didn't even notice; the joy in his heart elevated him above the pain. He felt a presence stir in his mind and he grinned.

__

Shiva?

He could feel the GF's hesitation as she decided if it was truly he. _Master?_

__

Yeah, it's me.

The ice queen appeared in front of him and he blushed as he tried to cover his modesty. She turned away, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "It **is** you! Thank Hyne, we were all so worried!"

He frowned a little as he realised the full extent of his nakedness. "Could you give me a bit of warning the next time you decide to pop up? I'm a little…naked_._"

The GF's laugh tinkled across the vast desert expanse. "I had noticed. There is a settlement not far from here, worry not."

"Is everyone alright? They weren't captured too, were they? Is Rinoa safe?" Squall pleaded desperately.

Shiva looked at him sadly, shaking her head. "No one else was captured, but another has taken your place, an impostor. He causes great sorrow and anger to all whom you hold dear."

Squall's eyebrows knitted together as he thought back to the day of his capture, the last image he remembered of the mission in Timber. "That man, my double…he's taken my place?"

Shiva nodded and continued. "You will need to reconcile when you return and cast out the intruder. A new threat has appeared in the world and the slayers of Ultimecia shall be called on to defeat the evil that threatens all once again. He threatens the very fabric of all existence, but if your hearts remain true you shall prevail. An unlikely man shall be your aid, trust in him. He has earned redemption."

The GF faded away leaving Squall to ponder her words as he approached the settlement.

"Redemption, eh? Who could it be?" 

A/N: I apologise for the unforgivably long time it has taken to post this. I have had the worst writer's block ever, which now seems to be gone. Thank God. Anyway, I apologise if this sucks, and I probably will tweak and re post, but better than nothing n'est pas? Thanks to Refugee and Pierson for continued support in the face of writers block, The Angel of the Lion, Nomad, Ashbear (omg!!!), Caleb Nova and anyone I may have missed. Thank you all.


	27. The Naked Truth

__

Shiva, how much further is this settlement?

__

It is not much further. And it's not exactly a settlement.

Squall felt a tinge of amusement in her voice. He could have asked, but decided not to. Shiva had a strange sense of humor, and at times he was better off not knowing what she was talking about. 

One foot in front of the other. Rinoa. One more step. Rinoa. Squall kept repeating this mantra to himself. His naked feet were being burnt badly by the hot sands, and each step was proving to be an agony. Thoughts of his Sorceress were all that kept him going at this point. The sun turned the open desert into an infernal oven, and it sucked his strength rapidly. 

Squall decided he needed something to take his mind off things_. Shiva?_

Again the sense of amusement. _My you're talkative today._

Whatever. Squall decided to ask her about something. Forgetfulness because of the use of GF's was a fact in his life_. _There was so much that was difficult to recall_. How long have we been together? _

I was your first junction. We have been a part of one another since you were 10 years old. I note you are thirsty.

Squall couldn't help but chuckle at that one. _Yeah, you could say that._

Summon me.

What?

Just do as I ask.

Squall shrugged, as well he was able, and went into the mindset that allowed Shiva to materialize on this plane. Shiva appeared and launched into her attack ritual upon a patch of empty desert. It wasn't like she didn't have a lot to choose from. The Guardian's apparently useless attack ended, and she disappeared. Leaving only a pile of ice upon the sands.

__

Squall shielded his eyes from the sun, and contemplated this futile gesture, when something clicked in his mind. Ice melts, and becomes… He didn't even notice the pain in his feet, or sun burnt skin, as he ran towards the ice mound. 

He broke off pieces, and popped them into his mouth. He remembered from his survival classes to never drink quickly after a prolonged thirst. Much better to take it slowly. While the ice melted in his mouth, he broke off additional fragments; and rubbed them on his baked chest, arms, and feet. It was wonderfully soothing. He smiled and sent a thought out to Shiva. _And here I was wishing I had Leviathan._

Hmmph. _The oaf would likely have drowned you._

~*~*~

__

Seifer found himself staring in the mirror. Something he'd been doing a lot of lately. Watching Squall's behavior of the past few days had given him more than one mirror to look in. Looking at the Commander showed how he had treated others all of his life. It was a reflection he didn't like much.

Running the towel over his face, he gave one last check to make sure the last of the shaving cream was removed. That attended to, he turned his mind to starting the day. There was nothing really pressing to do, so he decided to do something he'd been putting off. Getting to the bottom of why Squall was acting like this; once and for all.

Luckily, his rival wasn't hard to find. Lately, he'd taken up his old habit of spending almost every waking hour in the Training Center. It didn't take long to get there, and even a shorter time to locate him. Squall was currently fighting a few Grats, and Seifer stopped to watch for a few moments. Something was bothering him; something about the way the Commander fought… was different.

His conversation with Bahamut immediately sprang to mind. 'Things are not as they seem with that one.' No kidding, and Seifer was going to find out why, right here and now. 

Squall finished off the last of the Grats he was combating, and wiped his gun blade. It didn't take him long to notice Seifer's presence. "What do you want Almasy?"

Seifer grinned maliciously. "I'm here for a little trip down memory lane. Been a while since we trained together hasn't it?" He unsheathed the Hyperion, whirling it about in a flourish. "You could use another scar. Builds character."

The Commander sneered. "Alright Almasy. Can't promise you'll survive this. There might be an 'accident'."

"I'll take my chances."

Seifer was a little surprised that Squall jumped on the attack first. He had no time to think about it. Puberty Boy was a load to handle, and he needed to be ready. As a wild thrust was coming towards him, Seifer spun away. Squall overbalanced and fell to the ground.

Rather than laughing as he normally would, Seifer stepped away and took a few seconds to think. That attack had been much too easily defended. The style, the moves, all of them were different. It was almost as if he wasn't fighting Squall at all. One way to test that theory. 

Squall got to his feet, and snarled. Seifer didn't give him a chance to take the initiative. Attacking furiously, he drove the Commander backwards. A flurry of blows followed, and Squall seemed confused, not sure of how to defend. Seifer took full advantage, and stepped inside his opponent's lead foot. A vicious shoulder block knocked Squall off of his feet. 

Seifer extended Hyperion to the tip of his rival's throat, and stepped firmly on his sword arm. "Who are you?"

"What do you mean dumb shit? I'm Squall!"

Seifer shook his head. "Nuh uh. Much as I hate to admit it, I could never beat Puberty Boy this easy. You're not him. I know that now." 'Squall' started to say something and Hyperion pressed harder against his throat. "Don't bother to deny it. Now, who are you?!"

A sudden laugh. "What are you going to do Almasy? Kill me? I'm everyone's darling Commander. They'd execute you without a second thought."

"No, but I could tell everyone the truth."

"You don't exactly have the best credibility in the world. All I'd have to do is say that little bump on the head had me out of sorts for a while, and apologize. They'd never believe you then." Seifer swore to himself furiously, this pretender was right. 'Squall' grinned at him. "Checkmate lapdog. You can't do shit, and you know it."

"What are you doing here? And where's the real Squall?"

"Don't think I'll tell you that. I will tell you that things are going to get real interesting around here." He winked at Seifer. "Just sit back and enjoy the show. Nothing else you can do."

Seifer stared him straight in the eyes for a moment, before replying. "Somehow, somewhere, you're going to make a mistake."

A sudden chime indicated the intercom coming on, and Cid's voice echoed throughout the Training Center. "Will Squall Leonheart please report to my office? Thank you."

Seifer took a step back, but held Hyperion at the ready, just in case. "Remember this 'Squall', from now on, you turn around and I'll be there. I'm going to be watching you."

The fake Commander leaped to his feet. "Your day's coming. I won't forget this Almasy. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some Garden business to attend to."

~*~*~

Red faced with embarrassment, the true Squall Leonheart strode through the patio area of the resort he had come upon. Shiva was laughing uncontrollably in his mind, and he seriously considered un-junctioning her. He had been worried about finding clothes when he came upon the settlement. Various horror scenarios had played through his mind. Squall need not have worried. He had always heard places like this existed, but never believed. It was now a fact in his mind. The evidence was unmistakable. He had entered a nudist resort. 

Keeping his eyes straight ahead, Squall did his best to walk normally. His feet and sun burnt skin were killing him though. Doing so was extremely difficult. Various cat calls and lewd whistles from females greeted him as he walked to the lobby of the hotel portion. The Commander ignored it as best he could, focused on his current mission. Finding a phone, and calling Garden. Not seeing one immediately, he decided it was best to ask the front desk clerk.

Squall hit the little bell on the counter, and turned his gaze to the ceiling while he waited. There were pictures of naked people painted up there too. It seemed there was no escape. A throat clearing attracted his attention, and Squall started to ask where the phones were, but immediately stopped.

The Commander had been through Time Compression, faced down innumerable fearsome beasts, and took part in destroying a Sorceress from the future. Through all of it, he had been scared at times. Only a fool wouldn't have been. Nothing like what he was now though. Squall had just confronted the ultimate horror. This was an image that was burned into his cornea.

The seventy year old naked woman asked him politely. "Can I help you?"

He stammered. "Need…phone…"

The clerk took notice of his sun burnt skin. "Aww, stay out in the sun too long, hon?"

Squall looked anywhere but at her, and quickly recovered his composure. "Something like that."

"Did you need a room?"

"No, just need to use a phone."

"I'm sorry. The only phones we have are in rooms."

He inwardly cursed. Being without clothes obviously meant he had no money, but SeeD had contingencies for situations like this. "If I give you an account number, can you run it through?"

"Certainly."

Squall rattled off the numbers from memory, hoping he got it right. While waiting, he faced his fear and looked at her. "How do people get to and from here?"

"There's a ship that comes once a week from Esthar."

"And when's it due to come again?"

"Three days."

Squall almost screamed in frustration. Three days at a nudist resort. He didn't know how he was going to survive. Maybe Cid could get him out of here sooner.

"Sir, your transaction has gone through. And SeeD's account…" She took a second look at his face. "Hey, aren't you…? You know from that Time Compression thing that was on the news."

"Yeah. That was me."

She winked conspiratorially at him, and he felt his 'assets' shrink further in upon themselves; if that was possible. "Here on a mission? Or do you just like to feel free like the rest of us?"

Squall cleared his throat nervously. The second choice was much easier. "A mission."

"Ah, I'll alert the staff. Let us know if there's anything we can do to help. Room 402. Just up the elevator."

The Commander received his key, and hurried away as quickly as was polite. Pressing the elevator button, he waited with several other people. A slap on his rear quickly alerted him to a smiling middle aged woman behind him. Squall had never wished for the Lionheart as much as he did this moment.

She winked at him. "You're a cutie."

He turned back around, blushing furiously. He resolved to spend every moment in his room from this point on. Upon reaching his room, he quickly picked up he phone and dialed Cid's office extension. He breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the Headmaster's voice. "Yes?"

"Sir, it's Squall. I'm afraid I'm in a bit of trouble here.'

"You certainly sound like him, but I'm afraid it's impossible. He was just in my office."

"Sir, I assure you it's me."

"Whoever put you up to this, I'm afraid the prank won't fly. Goodbye."

A click signaled the end of the conversation. Squall couldn't help but think of what he was going to do now.

*************************************************************************************

Seifer stood at attention before the Headmaster, Rinoa beside him. Both had received summons a short time ago, and had just arrived. Cid looked up, and signaled they should be at ease. Seifer relaxed his posture and Cid spoke. 

"I have a mission for the two of you. Squall will be the leader of this particular endeavor. He's awaiting you at the Ragnarok."  


Surprisingly, it was Rinoa who asked with a slight nervousness in her voice. "Squall?"

"Yes." Cid took off his glasses and looked at her in confused fashion. "Is there a problem with that Rinoa?"

"No sir."

"I didn't think there would be. It will give you some time together. And Rinoa, I'm aware of your pregnancy. Please be careful, and don't take unnecessary chances. This mission shouldn't be unduly hazardous anyway."

Seifer asked. "What are we doing?"

"Squall has the operational details. In a side note, have either of you noticed anything strange about him? He was almost rude when we talked. Not like him at all."

Rinoa and Seifer exchanged glances, before Seifer answered. "We honestly don't know what's wrong with him."

Cid nodded. "Well, see if you can help him sort it out. Dismissed."


	28. Thanks

Rinoa looked at Seifer nervously, she realised that her apprehension at having to go on a mission with her fiancee had somewhat unnerved Cid. She stole a sideways glance at the tall blond and was rewarded with an absent grin, almost as if he had other things on his mind. She sighed inwardly and tried to hold her head up high as she passed the giggling junior class men, aware that the laughter was at her own expense. There still remained the few who believed she had stolen their precious Commander away from them. Following the days of almost ritual humiliation of her by him, she had sensed a certain frostiness from sections of the Garden. The young sorceress sighed, trying and failing to force the thoughts from her head. _Seifer doesn't care; Squall hates me…what's the point? _Seifer noticed the frown on the woman's face and placed a hand on her arm.

"Rin? What's up?" 

She felt her heart jump at even this small gesture, the meagre comforts his touch and words afforded lifting her spirits. _So I was wrong…he does think about me. Unlike some guys I could mention. _"I just…I don't know Seifer. All this, it's just starting to grate on me, y'know?" She gestured to the girls busily snickering at her.

He narrowed his eyes at the girls who backed away slowly, his reputation serving him well. "It's ok, they're just stupid kids. And don't worry about Cid, he knows Squall's been strange recently. Hell, he said it himself! He won't think any less of you because you're worried about being with Squall on this mission. Even I'm a little nervous." He grinned weakly.

Hope glimmered briefly in her eyes. "Really?"

"Really. Look Rinoa, just relax. Don't let him get to you. I'm here if anything happens. I might have been the bad guy at one point, but I guess we all change." He smiled wryly.

Rinoa bit her lip, the frown back in place. "I guess…some of us more dramatically than others."

"Rin, he's…"

"He's what?"

__

Not whom everyone thinks he is. He shook his head. "Nothing." 

__

Nothing that Squall Leonhart couldn't solve. For Hyne's sake, am I doomed never to do anything worthwhile? I can't protect my friends from this asshole posing as Squall, I can't even tell_ them what I know! Because of one stupid mistake, the credibility of the lap dog is worth shit. I, I can't just do nothing! _

you can_ do something though. you know that. _The voice invaded his thoughts and he jumped a little, earning an inquisitive tilt of the head from Rinoa. He pointed to his foot, as if indicating he'd tripped and answered the presence.

__

Bahamut? 

you have another junctioned unto you? of course it is i. 

Seifer smirked inwardly at the Guardian Forces patter. _Nice to hear from you again, I suppose. What do you mean I can do something? I can't do shit. He's got me over a fucking barrel._

that's where you're wrong. he may think he has you where he wants you, the truth is a little different. the companion you seek draws near, but you must aid his passage and his recovery. the road will be difficult, but it is one you must traverse together. the pretender will_ be vanquished; it is the master who is the real threat. prepare yourself, the battle will soon be won. the outcome of the war, however, is…uncertain._

War? What frickin' war?

There was no answer and Seifer sighed, rolling his eyes at the snippets of information he had been fed. Always just enough to counteract any possible attack, but never enough to stop the threat itself. It frustrated the SeeD no end and he could feel Bahamut's amusement as he sent mental curses to the GF. He looked to Rinoa who was busily checking the equipment.

"Rin? You ready?"

"No."

He chuckled at her predictable answer. "Tough, we have to go meet the asshole now. Just ignore him, that's the best thing we can both do. I have a feeling things will take a turn for the better soon."

~*~*~

Squall winced as the simpering voice called through the door yet again. "Are you sure you don't need anything, Sir? I can rub in some soothing cream to those poor, burnt 'bits' of yours!"

"I'm sure. I'm fine, please leave me to rest." He called, fearful that they would open the door. Again.

He heard the hesitation in the woman's voice. "If you're sure…"

__

For the love of Hyne! Yes! I'm sure! I've never been so sure in my damn life! "I'm sure. Thank you."

He heard the footsteps fade away as the woman strode off, no doubt to harass other guests with her proffered 'favours'. Squall scowled as the disturbing giggles of an amused Shiva echoed throughout his mind.

__

Shut up, Shiva. 

He felt her try to compose herself. _I am sorry, master. _She snorted with laughter and he shook his head.

__

This is your fault you know? I can't believe you brought me here!

You would rather I had kept quiet and left you to die in the desert? This is the only settlement for five hundred miles. You wouldn't have lasted another day out there. Besides, you are_ a bit of a cutie!_

Squall blushed furiously as she chortled at his expense. _Shiva! Better not let Rin hear you say that._

He could imagine the smirk turning up the corners of her mouth. _A bit of jealousy never hurt anyone._

It could hurt me. She's a Hyne damn Sorceress! "Hi honey, Shiva took me to a nudist colony while I was missing and said I was cute." I can imagine the results; they wouldn't be pretty. A pissed off Sorceress is never a good thing.

I suppose…I apologise.

Squall grinned. _It's ok. To be honest, it's nice having you here. It's good having someone to talk to, someone to share this torture with. _

You finally figured out that it is all right to enjoy the company of others? To have a conversation?

I guess.

I am glad. The Sorceress was a blessing to us all. Should you not use a healing spell to cure the sun inflicted wounds?

He frowned, mentally examining his stocks. _I only have one left, will it definitely work? I don't want to waste it; we still have a long way to go till Garden. There'll be battles on the way, I don't have the Lionheart and I'm not as good as Zell with my fists…I'll need it if we run into serious trouble._

It will work. How do you expect to combat if you cannot move your limbs due to the burns? You can restock on the way, I will alert you to the presence of magic. 

The youth cast the spell, the burns healing completely. He smiled lazily, allowing himself the luxury of stretching after a day of agony. _Shiva? Thank you, for everything._

He felt a cool whisper of a kiss on his cheek. _You're welcome._

~*~*~

"Hey, sweetie! How you been?"

Rinoa's eyes widened in surprise as Squall embraced her warmly, kissing the top of her head. He caressed the non-existent bump of her stomach and grinned wildly. 

"Uh, fine. Are you feeling ok, Squall?"

The grin faded and was replaced by an air of remorse. "I'm fine. Rin, I'm so sorry for the way I've been acting. It was wrong of me, I know, but I've been feeling out of sorts since I had that accident on the mission. If I could take it all back, believe me I would." He sighed. "Please forgive me, darling. I love you so much and I'm so happy about the baby. I don't want to lose my fiancee and my child because of my own Hynedamn stupidity."

The young sorceress' face lit up with joy, her spirits lifting immediately. "You mean that? Oh Hyne, Squall! You have no idea what that means to me!"

He brushed a tear away from his eye as he snickered inwardly. "I haven't lost you?" He asked in a small voice.

Rinoa flung her arms around him. "Of course not!"

Seifer snorted as his enemy winked at him from over the girl's shoulder. "Rin? You gonna forgive him this easily? After all he put us through!"

She looked at him reproachfully. "Seifer, you of all people should know everyone deserves a second chance. He wasn't himself…"

__

No shit. Seifer though angrily. 

"And he's apologised for it. It's just like you with the whole Ultimecia thing. You could be a little more understanding." She finished.

__

You've just been hurt so much by this prick that you'll grasp at any chance of happiness he offers you. Rin, for Hyne's sake, see through this bullshit! Seifer sucked in a deep breath and forced a smile onto his face. "You're right, Rin. Sorry _Squall_."

Rinoa pecked the commander's cheek before sitting down in the pilot's chair. Selphie had been giving her lessons and she eagerly awaited the chance to test her new-found skills. "So, what's the mission then?"

The dark haired youth cleared his throat. "There's a small monster problem in Winhill. Basically, we're to mop up the last vestiges of monster activity and report back to Garden. Nice easy mission, eh?"

"Sounds easy for us, I guess." She smiled, turning her attention back to the controls of the Ragnarok. Rinoa's eyes gleamed as the buttons shone invitingly, chuckling as she realised a bit of Selphie must have rubbed off on her. _Must not touch pretty coloured buttons, must wait until Squall is ready…ooh, but temptation is a terrible thing._

"Rin? You want to get going?"

Squalls voice broke through her thoughts and she grinned, making the preparations to lift off as Seifer tapped Squall on the shoulder.

"A word, Commander?"

Squall smirked at him. "Of course, SeeD Almasy. What can I do for you?"

His fiancee listened into the forced pleasantries before letting it pass and concentrating on her duties. There had always been a strained relationship between the two and she wasn't about to get involved in the ongoing feud again.

"Not here, _Squall_. In the command room. Now."

Squall stalked through to the designated area, the blond hot on his heels. He stopped and narrowed his eyes, turning to face the man who knew his secret. "What do you want, Almasy? Can't you see I was having a moment with _my_ _woman_?"

The taller man barked an incredulous laugh at the statement. "She's not yours, she never will be. Nice little act you got going there, though. I suggest you drop it and keep your fucking hands off her before I…"

"Before you what? Do something you regret? You'll just be playing right into my hands, lapdog. Hyne, he was right. You _are_ easy to manipulate. No wonder Ultimecia used you and then threw you away. You're pathetic, do you know that? Worthless." The man grinned as Seifer stumbled back a little from the verbal blows.

Seifer straightened up and snarled. "You won't win this one. You'll get what's coming to you, I guarantee it. I'll make sure that it happens."

Squall laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "We'll see. Did you know you're not going back to Garden? At least, you're not going back alive."

Greens eyes glared into stormy grey maliciously before he continued. "But don't worry though, Seifer. I already started your funeral fund. You'll go out with full honours, I promise you that much. It's been fun, asshole."

Squall turned on his heel and walked out, leaving Seifer to collapse into a chair. He knew the threat was deadly serious and he shuddered involuntarily. The pretender posed no real threat; Seifer could easily outmanoeuvre him with a gunblade, but still…he had one thing Seifer had lost mere minutes ago. The backing of a sorceress. He preyed the man wouldn't realise what a powerful tool he had at his disposal and waited for Winhill to come into view.

****

Just to let you all know that the last chapter of this fic was part of an experiment conducted by Refugee and myself. If anyone noticed a difference in writing styles, it is because my friend and fellow Coven member Refugee wrote the last chapter of "The Bitter Dawn." In return, I wrote the latest chapter of "Orphans of Time" by Refugee. Just to clear up any confusion! 

****

Thanks to:

The Angel of the Lion

Pierson

Refugee

Caleb Nova

Nomad

Kerri

If anyone is still reading, I want to thank you all for helping me get to 100+ reviews. It's…amazing and I never expected this when I joined ff.net with my little fic and my big dreams. Thank you all so much for your kind words over the past four months, and please continue to review!

Plug: Refugee, Pierson and Rinoa Heartilly. We three are The Coven. Check my profile for more details.

__ __ __


	29. Return

Squall looked out of the window as Esthar came into view. The ship from the, ahem, 'camp', had been early, thank Hyne, and he had used his charm and general status as World Saviour to convince the captain to give him a free ride. And some clothes.

__

Shame, Shiva said in amusement.

Squall blushed. _I can't very well go back to Esthar naked._

It would certainly have been be fun to watch.

A voice sounded over the ship's PA system, and Squall broke away from his little conversation as the ship approached the Esthar port. Built recently after hostilities with the rest of the world had ended, it was now fast becoming the busiest port in the world. He thanked the captain and disembarked. He was instantly drawn away from the ship b the press of the crowd. Now all he had to do was find a ship back to Balamb.

He fought his way through the crowd, and spotted a man in a small booth just on the edge of a wall. 

"Excuse me?" he shouted over the noise.

The man looked up from the paper he was reading. "Yes?"

"Can you tell me when the next ship to Balamb is?" he asked.

The man shrugged. "Not for another week," he said.

__

A week! Squall fumed, as he pushed his way out of the port and into the city proper. Esthar was now the busiest city in the world since their isolation had ended, and getting anywhere was difficult amongst all the gaping tourists.

__

One week!

He walked until he found a small patch of greenery in a park, and sat down on a bench to think about what he was supposed to be doing next. He watched the children play on the swings, the adults watching over them, the couples sitting on the grass, laughing and smiling. He felt a pang in his heart. _Rinoa. I need to get back._ But how? He wasn't prepared to wait one week. When the answer came he realised he had been staring at it all along.

__

Silly boy… Shiva commented in amusement.

__

Quiet. Squall got up, and began to walk towards the Presidential Palace, and Laguna.

~*~*~

Seifer was last off the boat and into Winhill, keeping his distance from Rinoa and the impostor. _Rinoa, how can you be fooled so easily?_ He asked her back.

'Squall' turned to address the two. "We'll split up here. Seifer, go and check the shoreline. Rinoa, would you go and check the town?"

Rinoa smiled. "Sure," she said, and walked off towards the town, noticeably happier.

Squall turned to Seifer and grinned. "Well? Why aren't you going?" he asked.

Seifer's eyes narrowed. If looks could kill the impostor would be a small puddle of trace elements cooling on the grass. "You can't keep this up forever," he said dangerously.

"Actually, I think I can," he said, and drew his Gunblade.

Instantly Seifer's hand was on the Hyperion, ready to swing it at him if he moved. But Squall just calmly checked it was loaded, and began to walk away towards the woods, whistling cheerfully.

"Damnit!" Seifer swore, and walked towards the shoreline.

Rinoa nearly skipped through Winhill, smiling at curious peasants She waved at couple cheerfully, but they stayed in their homes, not opening the doors. _Is the monster problem really that bad?_ Her problem was soon answered when a roar sounded from across the village.

Seifer turned when he heard the roar and looked towards the village. _Rinoa…_ He ran. Rinoa quickly drew her Shooting Star and stood her ground as the biggest Ruby Dragon she had ever seen lumbered it's way through the village. It's eyes fixed on her, and the two just stared at each other for a few seconds. Then the Ruby Dragon roared again, and a huge spurt of flame emerged from its mouth, singling the buildings around it. Windows slammed shut instantly as villager ran into whatever basements they had.

Rinoa took one step back as the dragon approached. _Guess it was pretty serious then. Better get started._ She closed her eyes, and concentrated. She didn't have to wait long. White lights flowed through her arms, and suddenly translucent wings sprouted from her back. She opened her eyes again, and they were totally white, and glowing. She held her arms out. _"BLIZZAGA!"_ she screamed.

Instantly a massive and deadly storm of icicles flew from her palms and impacted on the Ruby Dragon as if a whirlwind had picked up a collection of knives. _And that takes care of _that, Rinoa thought, rubbing her hands together to work some feeling back into them. She turned away to find another monster to deal with. Another roar sounded, and Rinoa turned back just in time to see the massive claw swinging towards her head.

__

"No!" A bright flash went past Rinoa's vision, and the dragon staggered backwards, claw bleeding heavily from its claw. She turned to see Seifer standing next to her, Hyperion covered in the dragon's blood, a look of rage on his face. He turned to her. "Are you alright?" 

She nodded her head mutely, and a shadow descended on them. Seifer barged into Rinoa and pulled her out of the way as a steady stream of fire engulfed the ground they had been standing on moments before.

Seifer spun around without pausing and fired a volley at the Ruby Dragon's head. This only seemed to enrage it more, and it charged towards him. He easily ducked under its claws and sliced his Gunblade across its weak underbelly. It screamed in pain and reeled backwards, blood pouring from its stomach.

Rinoa felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Squall looking at her in concern. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Fine, but Seifer-"

"Don't worry, I'll handle this. Go to a safe place."

Squall ran out towards where Seifer and the dragon were battling, drawing the Lionheart. He leaped up onto it and hacked directly at its tail. The blue Gunblade pierced the thick armour and pinned the tail to the ground. The dragon turned to see him, and Squall leaped away _sans_ Gunblade as it tried to turn him to Ash. Seifer took the opportunity to stab at its head. The Hyperion connected cleanly into the dragon's eye.

"Nice to see you've improved, but you're still _not him_." Seifer hissed.

"Shut up and kill this thing," the impostor said quietly.

Seifer jumped backwards and fired a quick round at the dragon, which whirled around, trying to keep the two together. Squall ran for the tail and wrenched the Lionheart from it. Armed again, he made a mad dash for the creature and literally _ran_ up the tail onto it's back. The dragon swung around frantically to get him off, and for a second it looked like Squall might make it, but then the tail, somehow, stretched around, and the dragon hit itself. And Squall. It caught him a resounded blow on the head, and he blinked, and so very slowly, fell off. Seifer forgot himself for a second and ran to aid him, but then remembered. _Let him burn._ Rinoa had other ideas though. Something cold and fast whipped past Seifer's head, and he looked around quickly to see Rinoa, wings extended, power coursing down her arms, firing wave after wave of pure ice at the dragon's head. It reeled backwards, but rallied, unwilling to give up its victim. Rinoa watched in horror as, very deliberately, the dragon raised one leg and stood on Squall.

__

"No!" she screamed.

The crunch of bone breaking was horrible, and Seifer cringed as the impostor's ribcage was shattered, and he died almost instantly. Some mission. Rinoa screamed in rage and despair, and a huge block of ice, even bigger than that summoned by Shiva, materialised above the dragons head. It looked up in surprise, and then it fell on him, and exploded, tearing the beast to shreds. Rinoa ran over to 'Squall' and slid to a stop next to him, casting cure after cure on his body in vain. She threw her hands over him and cried onto his chest. Seifer turned and pointed his Gunblade when he heard a noise. The villager that had been approaching him held up his hands.

"I come to thank you. The dragon had been hounding us for weeks."

Seifer looked incredulous. "You mean that was _it?_ Only one monster? In your request you said there were dozens!"

The man shrugged. "We did not think SeeD would bother with a measly Ruby Dragon."

__

Well, it did the job for me. Maybe we should decorate the damn thing with a medal.

Rinoa looked up in rage. "That one dragon killed Squall!" she shouted.

The man stood back when he saw the lights in Rinoa's eyes, and muttered something under his breath. Seifer would have bet a month's pay it was: _Sorceress!_ "We mean no offence. I am sorry for your loss. Do you have a way to contact Garden?"

Seifer nodded. "We do." _And they are not going to like this…_

~*~*~

Squall looked over at Kiros. "How much longer?" he asked.

Kiros shrugged. "A day at most," he said.

Squall thought about cursing, but held his tongue. Since Garden had permanently 'borrowed' the Ragnarok, and Laguna was still working on building another, they had to travel to ship. Luckily the president had given him use of his personal transport, and he was speeding back to Balamb. And Rinoa. _The day I find out who did this to me is the day that person needs to watch their back._

__

You miss her don't you? Shiva asked.

__

More than you can imagine.

Oh, I can imagine. She commented wryly, and did not elaborate.

~*~*~

Rinoa sat in Cid's office, not speaking, only looking at the floor, as Seifer gave the report to Cid. They had killed and only monster and Squall was dead and Cid had received payment for the mission and Squall was dead and Squall was dead…She buried her face in her hands and started to cry. What was she going to do now? Why did fate hate her so? Why whenever everything was going right did something reach out to ruin her life? A door swung open, and Cid walked out, a frown on his face. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Rinoa didn't reply. Another door slammed open, and she heard four pairs of feet enter the room.

"Is it true?" Zell's voice asked.

Cid must have nodded, because Selphie gasped.

Someone sat down next to Rinoa, and she instinctively leant her head against the woman. "I'm sorry Rin," Quistis whispered. "You know we all loved Squall."

"I just can't believe he's gone," Rin whispered back.

"Rinoa, we will be holding a funeral tomorrow. I can't say I understand what you're going through, but we're all here for you," Cid said gently.

Rinoa wiped tears from her eyes and looked up at the Orphanage Gang. Yes, they would be there. They always had been.

~*~*~

Squall got up the next morning. Well, Kiros shook him awake anyway. "Wht? Whuzzat?" he asked groggily.

Kiros chuckled. "We're here," he said.

Squall jumped up, instantly awake. _Rinoa._ He almost ran out onto the deck to see the familiar town of Balamb. He sighed as he saw the blue beam of light that signified Balamb Garden's magnetic ring. He ran to the side as the ship docked against the stone steps and leaped off even before the workers had finished tying the ropes. He turned back to Kiros. "Thanks for the ride," he said happily, and jogged away from the boat, back towards his home.

Kiros waved as Squall disappeared. "No problem."

~*~*~

Rinoa stood, dressed all in back, as the coffin was carried to the grave in the outside of Balamb Garden. She cried softly as it passed her, and Cid stood to read the small speech that always seemed to be _de rigueur_ in these situations. The other members of the gang were stood next to her right in front, all but Seifer, who stood near the back, watching everywhere but the solemn ceremony.

She clutched at the tissue, staring dully ahead. _It wasn't supposed to be like this. We were supposed to grow up happy._

The coffin went passed and was lowered into the grave, and Rinoa noticed how small it seemed. Somehow she had thought coffins were bigger… Seifer did not watch the coffin being lowered into the ground, but instead watched the surrounding countryside. He contemplated screaming to everyone that that wasn't Squall they were burying, but contained himself.

"Who died?" a voice said, and Seifer turned.

~*~*~

Squall walked through the village of Balamb towards Garden, fighting the urge to run. He needed his strength to fight any would-be attackers, and he didn't have his Lionheart with him.

__

Patience child, you'll get there soon enough, Shiva said gently.

He crossed his arms. _But I want to be there _now!

__

If you tire yourself out some bandit will attack you, and you won't get there at all.

Squall walked past the forest towards the Garden, and without thinking about it his head was drawn towards the sound of a voice coming from beyond the hill where the small SeeD centenary was, where SeeDs that actually had their bodies recovered where buried. He heard Cid's voice, and angled over that way. He crested the hill, and looked down to see…

__

Rinoa.

She sat at the front, next to a grave, holding her stomach, and for a minute he feared the worst. Then he saw everyone was standing on the same row, and were very much alive. He breathed a sigh of relief. He ran down the hill towards the funeral, slowing to a walk as he approached the site. He saw Seifer leaning against a tree at the back, not looking at the grave, but towards Garden. Then Cid looked up, and Squall waved.

For a second Cid didn't look like he believed his eyes, and his mouth dropped open. He looked from Squall to the coffin, and back at Squall again. Then at that point people turned to see what the man was staring at. Then Rinoa looked around, and they locked eyes. She jumped up and ran to him. Squall was about to ask what was going on, when she jumped into his arms and started crying. Squall wrapped her arms around her and kissed her.

"I never thought I would see you again," he whispered.

Suddenly Rinoa reached back and punched him lightly on the cheek. "You insensitive jerk! How could you do that to us!" she shouted, pointing at the coffin.

Squall frowned. "Why? Who died?" he asked.

"You did!"

Squall blinked. "What?" he asked quietly.

Seifer came up to his side and slapped him on the back. "Was wondering when you were gonna show up," he said.

Everyone looked around at him. He sighed. "Let me explain…"

****

The thanks:

Pierson for writing this chapter (I love my knight :) )

The Angel of the Lion

Refugee

Caleb Nova

Squall

Angelheart


	30. Reckoning

Squall stroked her raven hair gently, savouring the sweet feeling of just being there with her. The others hung back respectfully, talking quietly amongst themselves to allow the reunited lovers their solitude. Irvine gripped his wife protectively to his side, for some unknown reason fearful for her safety. He eyed Zell; relieved to see his own tension mirrored in the blonde mans face. Laguna joined the small party, laying a hand on Seifer's shoulder, a gesture of thanks for something he did not yet understand. The hushed whispers stopped, the eyes of the group turning to the older man. He rubbed the back of his neck, searching for the words to make verbal his confusion. "I always said he'd be late for his own funeral." 

Irvine's mouth turned upward. "Yeah. Difference is we never really expected it to happen. Sure does explain a lot though, huh?"

"It explains nothing! What the hell has been going on for the past few weeks? Two Squall's, disturbance in Garden, Seifer turning up out of the blue…" Quistis exploded, throwing up her hands. "I don't know what to believe anymore. It all seems so unreal."

"Why did you come back, Seifer?" Irvine inquired.

The green eyed man frowned. "I, I dunno. Raijin, Fujin and me, we just kinda ended up here and back at Garden. No idea how we got here or why we came. There's a lot we need to find out."

Laguna stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe there's something Odine can do. He's got to be good for something. At least, I hope he is." He shook his head. "Wouldn't want to be wasting the tax payers money."

"What about Elle? Could she not connect to one of them and see what happened?" The blonde woman questioned.

"That's definitely another avenue we could explore. I'll talk to her later; she's had a bit of a shock. Just like us all." Laguna looked down at the still exposed casket. "I'm just so glad it isn't him."

"Hey, hey, do we even _know_ who him is?" Zell interrupted.

Selphie grinned. "Some guy who looked like Squall? Didn't after he got splatted though, huh? Hey, shouldn't we bring him up? That _is_ where Squall's gonna be buried after all."

Irvine put an arm around his wife's shoulders, pulling her even closer to him as he sighed in mock disappointment. "Sefie, Sefie. How many times do I have to tell you? We _do not_ dig up the dead, my morbid little cowgirl. It's bad luck, hon."

Quistis' eyebrows knitted. "Did you have to bring up the whole mental image of crushed Squall? It made me ill enough seeing him the first time around, I don't really want that in my head."

The petite brunette stuck out her tongue. "You guys are no fun!"

Laguna chuckled before resuming his serious demeanour. "Well, I for one want to know who was impersonating my son. Maybe if we get to the bottom of your reappearance, Seifer, we'll get a better idea of just what we're up against here. Something tells me this isn't over." 

"I think so too. Not by a long shot." The blond agreed darkly.

"Everyone's being awfully serious. It's so weird to see you acting all grown up like, Sir Laguna!"

The older man smiled wryly. "I can be serious when occasion dictates the necessity for solemnity." 

The rest of the small group stared at Laguna open-mouthed as they digested his words. A lazy grin spread over his face. "What? You didn't think I was a total moron did you?" He shook his head, muttering. "Jeez, they get inside your head at a few choice moments and think you're an ass. People always underestimate me."

Quistis quirked an eyebrow before resuming the previous conversation. "_Any_way…did you know that man was an impostor, Seifer?"

He nodded and she continued. "Why didn't you tell any of us?" She cried in despair. "This could have been avoided."

"Would you, _any_ of you, have believed me?" They hung their heads. "Thought not. He wasn't stupid, he knew my reputation, he knew I wasn't trusted. He knew to whom he could safely reveal himself. The word of the lapdog was worth shit to all of you. I hope that's changed."

Selphie placed a hand on the mans arm, sincerity glowing in her jade eyes. "It has."

"Good. Well, this has been one hell of a day. I'm turning in." He turned to Laguna. "Hey, uh, if you see Elle? Will you tell her I'm asking for her?"

He saluted. "Will do. Thanks for…just thanks."

"No problem."

Seifer sauntered away, leaving behind him a rash of unanswered questions. Irvine frowned, the easy smile replaced by uneasiness. "So what now? Where do we go from here?"

"We watch and we wait. If there is a threat it won't be long in showing itself, we've learned that much through experience. We can't go around scared of every shadow and jumping at every noise. We're SeeD's. We've handled worse than this." Quistis stated.

"I dunno Quisty, Ultimecia never tried to replace one of us. She never tried to destroy us from within."

The blond woman looked exasperated. "Yes she did! Think about it Irvine, why do you think she chose Seifer? Our reluctance to fight one of our own could have been our downfall. Whoever is behind this latest attack is using her methods, albeit slightly more advanced."

Zell grinned. "I love it when you're right."

She blushed. "Later, Zell. Right now we need to explain to Garden that our Commander is alive and well and that an unknown entity may pose a threat to all our safety. We need to ensure everyone is extra vigilant, at least for the time being."

Selphie jabbed her thumb in the direction of Rinoa and Squall. "What about those two? Do we just leave them here?"

"We do. Selphie, arrange for the body to be removed and buried in another location. After what he done he doesn't deserve the honour of a SeeD burial."

"Hell, Quistis, he wasn't even a SeeD! He doesn't deserve anything!" Zell raged.

"But he was a man, good or bad is of no consequence now. We will not stoop to his level; we're better than that. I think he was shown little compassion in life and that's why he was the way he was. We'll show him solicitude in death, maybe then he can find some peace."

Zell took her in his arms and she laid her head on his shoulder. He shook his head slightly, whispering in her ear. "You're amazing, do you know that?"

"I just try to care."

"Never lose that, Quisty. It makes you so special."

~*~*~

"I thought I'd lost you forever. I thought you were gone."

Squall lifted her chin so she was forced to meet his eyes. "I'm here now, that's what matters, right? I won't put you through that again, I promise."

"I saw you die. I watched your life ebb away." Rinoa whispered, eyes wide as she remembered the scene.

"Not me. Him. That's the difference, Rin." He hesitated. "He…didn't hurt you or…anything, did he?"

"He wasn't you, he was mean."

The black gloved fist clenched. "Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head. "Not physically." The sorceress pointed to her heart. "Here he did."

"I'll sort it." Squall sighed, looking around his home. "It's good to be back with you, it's good to be home. Has everything else been ok? You've not been ill or…"

"No, I'm fine, so is the baby." She giggled. "Laguna's thrilled that he's going to be a granddad."

Squall's mouth turned up slightly at the corners. "A baby? Rin, that's fantastic, I can't believe I'm going to be a father! Well, with that great news I suppose there's only one thing left to do."

Rinoa looked confused. "What?"

"We'll need to make this family official. Let's set a date for the wedding."

The raven-haired girl squealed, hugging him to her tightly. "Really?"

"Really. We'll make it soon, so that if anything does happen…you'll be safe."

She frowned. "Don't say things like that."

"I'm being practical, Rin."

"Well, be more practical and just make sure nothing happens to you." She pouted.

"You know it's not that easy." He tried to soothe her.

"Quit then! We don't need the money, why do you need to always be the one to run off and save the world?"

He tried to explain. "It's my job, this is my home. I love them both, not as much as you, but they're part of me. I don't want to leave it behind now that I feel I belong somewhere." He looked at her, suddenly noticing the black she donned and raised an eyebrow. "When I _do_ die, do me a favour? Wear any colour but black. That's not the girl I fell in love with."

She smiled, nodding absently as she looked out over the still graveyard. "It's so quiet."

"Peaceful." He agreed as he sank down to the grass. "This is what life should be. No war, no fighting. But human nature can't be altered. I wouldn't change the choices I made." 

"I never thought that my life would turn out like this." Rinoa commented as she joined him.

He glanced sideways at her. "You have regrets?"

"No." She said quickly. "I never thought it would be this wonderful."

Squall put an arm around her shoulders. "Me either."

They fell into silence, watching as day faded gently into night. Stars twinkled softly overhead, the only sound their gentle breaths and the slight rustle of leaves as the twilight breeze tenderly caressed the trees. The salt scent of the ocean infused with their still sun warmed skin, the small hairs on their arms brushing together tentatively. The sorceress leaned into the embrace of her knight, placing a loving hand atop his arm. As the dying embers of the sun faded into the dark nothingness, her voice broke the calm.

"Where _have_ you been?"

"Kashkabald Desert. Somewhere."

She ran a finger lightly down a thin scar on his arm. "How did you get home?"

"A ship. You don't want to know where I had to stay while I waited for the transport." He shuddered slightly at the memory.

Rinoa sat up slightly and grinned. "I do now. Tell me later?"

He rubbed his temples. "If you're good."

"I'm always good."

"We'll see."

~*~*~

The man howled in rage as he inspected the empty cell. Since Squall had escaped he had returned to the scene of the knights subterfuge every morning and night, hoping in vain that the man would be awaiting him when he entered the dungeon. He knew it was hopeless, but still he clung to the increasingly faint hope that the escape was a bad dream. There had been no news of his recapture; the clone he had placed his hopes on had been killed. Events were forcing his hand sooner than expected and he raged against the injustice of Hyne. His minion entered the cell with some amount of trepidation, clearing his throat nervously. "My liege…"

"What?" He barked. "You better have some good news for me. Have you recaptured Leonhart?" He added menacingly.

The smaller man, terrified, shook his head. "N, no. Leonhart has returned to Garden. Almasy is questioning his own reappearance. Things do not bode well, my lord."

The man narrowed his eyes. "Indeed. We must act quickly while they are still vulnerable. The work and toil we have invested, we _will _reap the rewards. SeeD _shall_ fall, and with their destruction shall I rise and claim my revenge. They will pay for the wrongs perpetrated against me and none shall live to rue their transgressions. The day of reckoning draws ever closer."

****

A/N: Happy Birthday to me! Leave me a review as a present!

Thanks to: Refugee, Pierson, Noacat, Caleb Nova, The Angel of the Lion, and Squalleternally.


	31. Revealed

It was their own fault, he reasoned. They had made him into the man he had become, if it hadn't been for them and their infernal meddling, there would have been no need for him to take such drastic measures. It surely was no error of his that had caused his genius to become warped, the workings of his mind to twist and distort into something that both fascinated and terrified him. It is a terrible thing to know you are a madman, though infinitely worse was to know you are a madman and realise you are capable of atrocities beyond compare. The reasoning of a man no longer bound by the constraints of conscience or morals. The reasoning of a former Garden Headmaster. The reasoning of Martine.

His descent into oblivion began with the Sorceress Edea's seizure of Galbadia Garden. To watch as his Garden, _his Garden_, was appropriated by the very enemy they stood against drove him to despair. With the feelings of helplessness came guilt, with guilt came anger. With the anger came delusion, paranoia and insanity. These were his bedfellows now; these were what he clung to and relied upon. People couldn't be trusted. His children, his SeeD's had turned against him at the request of the Sorceress, the children he loved as his own. The betrayal gnawed on his sanity, leaving his will and his spirit broken. 

After the war had been won, after the Garden had been grounded in Galbadia and the student's freed of Ultimecia's will, he'd counted on resuming control of his home. Cid and those SeeD's, the so-called 'saviours of the world', had soon freed him of those notions. He remembered their words with distaste.

__

"Martine, we simply cannot allow you to continue as Headmaster, not after the 'incident'. You failed to control your students; you gave an order that endangered not only the lives of SeeD's but also the establishment of Garden itself. Irresponsibility of that magnitude cannot simply be overlooked. I am sorry, but it is for the best."

"But, but where will I go? What will I do? Garden is all I have, I live _for those kids!"_

"And they nearly died for you. The decision has been made; there is no hope they will rescind their decree. I'm sorry, truly I am."

Not. Sorry. Enough. Martine's lip curled into an ugly sneer as the memory washed over him. They'd find out soon enough the reality of crossing him. He was not a man to be trifled with. After they had left him in Fisherman's Horizon, he'd had a lot of time on his hands, time that was spent scheming, plotting his revenge. Though he hadn't thought it possible for his plans to come into fruition, slowly but surely they had grown from the tiny seeds of hate. His disarming charm which had not been enough to secure his return to Garden nevertheless drew a small group of followers to him like bee's to pollen. It had been enough, with his minions came power and influence. Though none of them were truly sure what they were fighting for, they knew that the SeeD's must be punished, it was the only way.

~*~*~

His plan was, by his own admission, sheer brilliance. Destroy the ranks from the inside out, create disillusion and discord and watch them fall with nary a struggle. His background as a scientist, a man of logic and clinical reasoning, had led him to this conclusion, his discernment twisted by inner turmoil and rage. The very reason he had been chosen as a Headmaster now served to work against the establishment that had cast him aside. It was, in his mind at least, delightful irony. 

For days and nights he had toiled, striving to swell his ranks through the lost art of clone technology. Esthar had banned the research for both ethical and political reasons; the people refused to accept the army of soldiers that appeared before them with but one face. Martine had latched onto the project with greedy fingers, devouring the knowledge with gusto. It occurred to him one night as two of his 'children' came to him that this knowledge could be used to aid his purpose in a more practical manner, namely the replacement of a prominent figure within the organisation of his enemies. He had toyed with the idea of Cid, before dismissing him in favour of someone the students revered and followed without question. Leonhart.

He'd found Seifer and his cronies wandering aimlessly in the desert, still highly susceptible to suggestion and persuasion, a side effect of their exposure to Ultimecia. And so he had planted the idea to visit Squall in the fertile ground of their ruined minds, gathering the raw material needed to replicate the Garden's dear Commander for him before re-entering Garden. It was a combination of luck and cunning that had paid dividends. The boy had been duplicated, the doppelganger trained and the stage set to swap one for the other. The details of the SeeD exam lodged firmly in his mind, the trap had been laid and his plan had been carried out flawlessly, Squall had been delivered safely to him and his own creation was in place to destroy those that remained. 

Martine sighed. It was then that his well-laid plans had fallen into disarray. He cast a cursory glance over the cell, which had once housed the great Squall Leonhart, and now lay pitifully bare. He tossed the food bowl he had forced Squall to endure across the room in a fit of temper, willing the boy futilely to return to his dungeon and brave his torment.

__

He paused in his rage; a thought washing over him, calming the turbulence that lurked. They would try and find him of course; they would try and best him. He would not sit and wait for the end. 

~*~*~

"Just relax, it'll be fine. I'm here with you."

Seifer grinned weakly as Ellone patted his hand. "I know. I still don't like you poking about in my head though."

She raised a mischievous eyebrow. "What is it that you're afraid I'll find?"

"That I've been thinking about you."

Ellone dropped his hand and stared at him suspiciously, unsure whether to drop her guard and take him at his word or raise her defences and brace herself for an assault. He sighed and took her hand, green piercing into brown sincerely. "I have, Elle. You've helped me a lot through what's been going on and…well, y'know?"

"The great Seifer tongue tied?" She teased.

His cheeks flushed. "Yes." He admitted. "Can you blame me?"

"I suppose not. We should press on, this could be important." She sighed.

"Great. Great, great, great. We'd better get on with it then." Seifer grumbled and lay down, peering up at her. "Do your magic, Elle."

~*~*~

__

Science is the greater magic, more so than the petty elemental conjuring so beloved of Garden. 

Martine knew that in combat he had no hope of defeating the youth's, his last illusions that his paltry sword skills and limited knowledge of incantations be enough had been shattered by Ultimecia's defeat. If the most powerful sorceress the world had known could be so easily defeated by these children, what chance would he have against their combined might? Logic determined he'd have more luck trying to ice skate in the fiery pits of Hell. Ego dictated that he was not as foolish as the sorceress, that he would never make the same mistakes, ergo, victory would be his. Rationalism prevailed. 

Days, weeks, _months_ were spent honing his skills to deadly perfection, his erudition a labour of love and hatred both. He mixed, he concocted. He went without sleep, stumbling bleary-eyed from one experiment to another. Eventually, he hit a plateau in his home scholarship. He was not so vain as to assume that he had mastered every nuance and intricacy of his art. Recognising the need for outside intervention, he journeyed to Esthar, seeking out the genius of Odine. 

The doctor saw mirrored in his new apprentice his own unquenchable thirst for their discipline. Odine knew he could take his obsession too far and he had in place measures to combat this, not least the constant supervision of the president. In Martine though he saw something that frightened even him. He had no such safeguards, his mind was free to run rampant and contrive depraved designs that Odine himself at an earlier stage in his career would have been proud to call his own. Now though, his silence had been bought with threats against his family, threats he was sure Martine would not hesitate to execute. Pupil had surpassed teacher. Odine wished he had noticed the glint of insanity in his disciple's eye before agreeing to bestow him with his lore. He feared the world would pay a terrible price for his negligence.

****

I know tis short, but next chapter….oooh. though is not written I can smell longness. My word, leave me. Meh.

Thanks: Cloud-123, Vincent Kinneas, Caleb Nova, Squall_Eternally, Nomad (I hate the stupid numbers. You are nomad! Yes!), and Wise Man Domingo. Sorry for the wait guys. Stuff is my explanation, the more long winded version I won't bore you with. 


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